Ukrainian Heraskevych disqualified: no agreement with IOC on helmet

No Olympic competition for Heraskevych. The Ukrainian athlete (skeleton) was disqualified for not wanting to give up wearing a helmet with photos of Ukrainian athletes who died in the conflict with Russia. Despite several attempts to reach an agreement, the disqualification, decided by the jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), became official. The helmet, in fact, was not considered to comply with the official regulation on IOC guidelines on the athlete&#8217s expression.

Fabrizio Ponciroli

As is well known, attempts have been made on several occasions to find a solution that would satisfy all parties involved. Heraskevych had been offered the option of wearing a black band on his helmet during the race (the helmet with photos of athletes who fell during the war was used in training) but the Ukrainian athlete refused this option, standing firm on his positions. Even in the latest confrontation between the parties, the athlete&#8217s position did not change.

The decision to disqualify him has generated an uproar on social networks with numerous rather strong and firm stances taken by many users. Many outraged people are pointing fingers at the IOC. Heraskevych himself, in a recent post on his own social profiles, had been quite clear: “I never wanted a scandal with the IOC and I did not create it. The IOC created this because of its interpretation of rules that many consider discriminatory”.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has also decided to revoke its Milan-Cortina 2026 Games pass. In fact, Ukrainian athlete Heraskevych&#8217s Olympic adventure has already officially ended.

The guidelines on athlete&#8217s expression are the result of a 2021 global comparison with 3,500 athletes from around the world. Guidelines that have the full support of the IOC Athletes Commission and the Athletes Commissions of the International Federations and National Olympic Committees.