CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The Ukrainian skeleton racer disqualified from the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics over his remembrance helmet has received his country’s Order of Freedom.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Vladyslav Heraskevych with the honor during a meeting in Munich, Germany, on Friday, Feb. 13, hours after the Court of Arbitration for Sport denied the athlete’s appeal of his disqualification. CAS said that while it sympathized with Heraskevych’s wish to memorialize athletes killed in Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine, the helmet was a violation of the International Olympic Committee’s ban on political statements on the field of play.
‘Remembrance is not a violation,’ Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post that included photos of him meeting with Heraskevych and his father, Mykhailo, who is also his coach.
‘Ukraine will always have champions and Olympians. But above all, Ukraine’s greatest asset is Ukrainians – those who cherish the truth and the memory of the athletes killed by Russia, athletes who will never compete again because of the Russian aggression,’ Zelenskyy said. ‘Thank you for your stance, your strength, and your courage. Glory to Ukraine!’
Heraskevych’s helmet has images of more than 20 athletes and coaches killed since Russia invaded Ukraine almost four years ago. They include figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, who competed with Heraskevych during the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.
The IOC had told Heraskevych repeatedly he could not wear the helmet during competition and offered him alternatives, including a black armband while he raced and the ability to carry the helmet with him afterward. But Heraskevych resisted, saying the helmet was a remembrance, not a political statement.
He met with IOC president Kirsty Coventry Thursday, Feb. 12, hours before the men’s skeleton competition was to begin. When he said he still intended to wear the helmet, he was disqualified.
Heraskevych’s case has roiled the Winter Olympics, with his defenders saying this is yet another example of the IOC going out of its way to accommodate Russia. Ukrainian athletes in other sports, as well as some of Heraskevych’s competitors, have knelt in protest or expressed their support for his cause.
This is not the first time Heraskevych has used his Olympic platform to protest Russia’s aggression toward his country. He displayed a small sign with ‘No war in Ukraine’ after his final run at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks later.