Ukrainian athlete disqualified from Winter Olympics says he received threats from Russians and accuses IOC of ‘escalating situation’

Understand the case of the athlete disqualified from the Winter Olympics because of his helmet Ukrainian athlete Vladislav Heraskevych, disqualified from the Winter Olympics for wanting to compete using a helmet with images of compatriots killed in the war in Ukraine, stated this Friday (13) that he received threats from Russians and accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of “escalating” the situation. Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday (12). He refused to comply with the IOC ban, which does not allow political demonstrations at events. (Read more below) ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The Ukrainian athlete, who would compete in the “skeleton” category — in which the competitor descends a circuit face down on a sled —, told journalists that he received threats from Russians because of his helmet, which was the fault of the IOC’s actions, according to him. Heraskevych appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to revoke the IOC decision and return to the Winter Olympics. The sport’s highest court, however, rejected his appeal this Friday. Ukrainian athlete Vladislav Heraskevych, disqualified from the Winter Olympics for wanting to compete wearing a helmet commemorating victims of the Ukrainian war, speaks to journalists before the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport on February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo The athlete said he was confident of a favorable decision from the CAS, but he said he believed he would be prevented from competing regardless of the outcome of the hearing. Even so, he stated that he has no regrets and that, because of his suspension, the IOC turned the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games into a “Russian propaganda machine”. “I believe that I did not violate any rules, therefore I should not be suspended. I should be participating in the Olympic Games today, being part of the competition, and not an audience. So, we continue fighting for our truth,” said Heraskevych. IOC President Kristy Coventry said this Friday that she is in favor of freedom of expression at the Olympic Games, but defended the institution’s decision to suspend Heraskevych. Disqualified for tributes in helmet Vladyslav Heraskevych wears helmet with Ukrainian athletes killed in the war during training at the Olympics REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha In a statement, the international body said that the athlete “will not be able to participate” in the Winter Olympic Games “after refusing to comply with IOC guidelines on athletes’ expression”. On Tuesday (10), the IOC had suggested, as an exceptional measure, that Heraskevych wear a black armband instead of the helmet with images. “This morning, upon his arrival at the competition venues, Heraskevych met with IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who explained the IOC’s position for the last time. As in previous meetings, he refused to change his stance,” the organization said in the statement. See the videos that are trending on g1 As a result, the judges from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) decided to disqualify, based on the regulations that prohibit equipment outside the approved standard. “The IOC therefore decided, with regret, to withdraw the accreditation for the 2026 Olympic Games. Despite many conversations and face-to-face discussions with Heraskevych (…) he did not want to reach a point of agreement”, added the IOC. This Friday (12), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the IOC’s decision to disqualify Heraskevych: “Sport should not mean amnesia, and the Olympic movement should help end wars, not play into the hands of aggressors”, said Zelesnsky in a post on Heraskevych defended his point of view. “This is the price of our dignity,” he said. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy also criticized the International Olympic Committee. “The IOC vetoed not just the Ukrainian athlete, but its own reputation. Future generations will cite this as a moment of shame,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiga wrote on social media. Heraskevych had participated in training on Monday and Wednesday wearing a “memorial helmet”, as his team called it: a gray model with images of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war. Zelensky praised the initiative. “The helmet bears the faces of our athletes murdered by Russia: figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, killed in combat near Bakhmut; 19-year-old biathlete Yevhen Malyshev, killed near Kharkiv; and other Ukrainian sportsmen whose lives were cut short by the war,” Zelensky wrote on Monday in Telegram. MORE

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