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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday (February 12, 2026) that the determination to prohibition skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from the Winter Olympics for refusing to ditch a helmet depicting victims of the warfare with Russia plays "into the hands of aggressors".
Gestures of a governmental quality during contention are forbidden nether the Olympic charter.
The International Olympic Committee said Heraskevych had failed "to adhere to the IOC jock look guidelines".
The jock had insisted helium would proceed to deterioration the headgear, which carries pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine successful 2022, successful his lawsuit astatine the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
The IOC said successful a statement: "(The decision) was taken by the assemblage of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) based connected the information that the helmet helium intended to deterioration was not compliant with the rules."
A defiant Heraskevych posted connected X: "This is (the) terms of our dignity", alongside a representation of his helmet.
Mr. Zelenskyy took purpose astatine the IOC.
"The Olympic question should assistance halt wars, not play into the hands of aggressors," the Ukrainian president said successful a station connected societal media.
"We are arrogant of Vladyslav and of what helium did. Having courageousness is worthy much than immoderate medal."
Athletes are permitted to explicit their views successful property conferences and connected societal media, and the IOC had said connected Tuesday it would let Heraskevych to deterioration a plain achromatic armband.
A further connection to let him to transportation his helmet into the mixed zone, wherever athletes speech to journalists aft their race, was besides rejected.
"Mr Heraskevych was capable to show his helmet successful each grooming runs," Thursday's IOC connection added. "The IOC besides offered him the enactment of displaying it instantly aft the contention erstwhile going done the mixed zone."
Heraskevych has appealed his disqualification to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS confirmed connected Thursday (February 12, 2026).
Coventry plea
IOC president Kirsty Coventry met with Heraskevych aboriginal connected Thursday (February 12, 2026) successful a last-ditch effort to transportation him to alteration his caput earlier his contention started.
Ms. Coventry, a erstwhile Olympic golden medallist successful swimming, was successful tears aft the meeting, according to video images.
"I was not speaking to him successful that country arsenic a president, I'm speaking to him arsenic an athlete," she said.
"We person these rules successful spot to effort and beryllium just and besides to effort and let for america to bash some things close — to let for athletes to explicit themselves, but besides to let for athletes to beryllium safe."
An impassioned Heraskevych, who is allowed to stay astatine the Games contempt not competing, told reporters astatine the Cortina Sliding Centre that helium believed his disqualification was "totally wrong".
"Especially erstwhile we had already successful this Olympic Games different cases, erstwhile athletes successful astir adjacent situations were treated otherwise and didn't look immoderate sanctions," helium said.
"I person truly atrocious thoughts, and I judge that this concern besides plays on with Russian propaganda," helium added.
Heraskevych said Ukrainians were being "killed for nothing" successful the war, adding: "I judge we should honour radical who sacrificed their lives."
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams told a property briefing successful Milan that Olympic chiefs "dearly wanted him to compete".
"It would person sent a precise almighty message," helium added. "It is not astir his message, it is not astir the connection helium wanted to give, it is the place. We cannot person athletes having unit enactment connected them by their governmental masters."
Ukrainian fans astatine the skeleton venue expressed their dismay implicit the IOC's decision.
Irina Nalivayko, from Kyiv, said: "These radical that helium showed successful his helmet, they're existent radical that died due to the fact that of the Russian invasion.
"The warfare is inactive going, we're inactive freezing, we inactive person nary electricity. People are inactive dying and this is not good. It's unacceptable."
Heraskevych displayed a banner that work "No War successful Ukraine" astatine the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, conscionable days earlier Russia launched the penetration of its neighbour.
The struggle has resulted successful a monolithic question of demolition that has near full cities successful ruins and killed tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, portion forcing millions to fly their homes.
