Ukrainian athlete Vladislav Heraskevich, a potential medal contender at the Milan-Cortina Games, was not allowed to compete Thursday after a last-minute petition from the International Olympic Committee to use a helmet other than the one honoring more than 20 of his country’s athletes and coaches killed in the war with Russia was rejected.
The decision came about 45 minutes before the start of the competition, ending a three-day saga in which Heraskiewicz knew he risked being pulled from the Games by wearing the helmet, a helmet that the International Olympic Committee says prohibits rules from making statements on the field of play.
He received a written letter on Thursday from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, in which he said his decision to wear the helmet was “contrary to the Olympic Charter and the Guidelines on Sports Expression.” He had been wearing the helmet during training, but the IOC required him to — might be a better word — wear a different helmet in races and offered him concessions like the right to wear a black armband or even the ability to display the helmet once he got off the ice.
“I deeply believe that FIFA and the International Olympic Committee understand that I am not violating any rules,” Heraskiewicz said. “I would also say (it hurts) that it seems like discrimination because a lot of athletes were already expressing themselves. … They weren’t facing the same things. So, all of a sudden, only the Ukrainian athlete in these Olympics will be left out of the helmet.”
IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who was due to be in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Thursday to watch alpine skiing, went to the sliding center instead to meet Heraskiewicz. She was waiting at the top of the track when he arrived at about 8:15 a.m., and they met privately a few minutes later. After about 10 minutes, Coventry were unable to change Heraskiewicz’s mind.
“We did not find common ground in this regard,” Heraskiewicz said.
Coventry spoke to reporters after the meeting, tears streaming down her face at times as she spoke. The Olympic champion swimmer made it clear that she wanted a different result, and the official statement of the International Olympic Committee said that the decision was made “with regret.”
“As you have all seen over the past few days, we have allowed Vladislav to use his helmet in training,” Coventry said. “No one, no one – especially me – disagrees with the message. The message is a powerful message. It is a message of remembrance. It is a message of remembrance and no one disagrees with that. Our challenge is that we wanted to ask or come up with a solution just for the playing field.”
At their meeting, Coventry and Heraskiewicz agreed that the helmet – which contains images of the faces of more than 20 people killed in the war – is not clearly visible anyway, given that skaters slide down the icy chute at speeds of more than 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph).
The IOC hoped this would be a window into reaching a compromise. If the faces on the helmet can’t be clearly seen during the race anyway, would he consider not using them while sliding?
He won’t budge.
“Unfortunately we were not able to reach this solution,” Coventry said. “I really wanted to see him race today. It was an emotional morning.”
Heraskiewicz said he would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the race had already been held. Medals will be decided on Friday. No matter what CAS says, his chance to race in these Games is gone.
After speaking about Coventry’s feelings, Heraskevich said: “In Ukraine now we also have a lot of tears,” and said the decision was “in line with Russian propaganda.” About a dozen Russian athletes are allowed to compete in the Olympics as neutrals along with seven Belarusians. They are not allowed to compete under their national flag or national anthem.
“I think this is enough to understand what the modern IOC is and how it insults the idea of the Olympic Movement,” Ukrainian skater Katerina Kotsar wrote on Instagram. “Vladislav Heraskevich, for us and for the whole world, you are a hero. Even without starting.”
The IOC had sided with Ukraine’s top slider before. When he raised a “No to war in Ukraine” sign after his fourth and final participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said he was simply calling for peace and did not find him in violation of the Olympic Charter.
This time, Heraskiewicz said he believes there are inconsistencies in how the IOC determines what statements are permissible. Among those cited: American skater Maxim Naumov, who brought a photo of his late parents — former doubles world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were among 67 people killed in a plane crash on Jan. 29, 2025 — to the kissing and crying area after skating in Milan on Tuesday night, and Israeli athlete Jared Firestone’s decision to appear at the opening ceremony wearing the hood bearing the names of 11 slain athletes and coaches. Israelis in the 1972 Munich attack.
“One competitor literally placed the memory of the dead on his head in honor of them,” Heraskiewicz wrote on Instagram. “I honestly don’t understand how these two cases are fundamentally different.”
Firestone said he admires Heraskiewicz while noting that “the flag on my helmet just represents the country.”
“I think he’s a guy with strong values. I think that’s very admirable. As a person, I really respect him,” Firestone said.
In Milan, International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams answered a large number of questions about this issue.
“It is simply about the sanctity of the field of play,” he added, stressing that the rules also protect athletes in some countries from being pressured by their “political masters” to send messages to the Olympic arenas.
“You can see where this would lead to a messy situation,” Adams said.
Heraskiewicz finished fourth at the world championships last year and has always been among the fastest in training leading up to Olympic races. The medal was certainly within reach, but for Heraskiewicz, the helmet was more important.
“The IOC has destroyed our dreams,” said Mykhailo Heraskevich, the slider’s coach and father. “It’s not fair.”
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