Ukrainian Winter Olympics team in furious act of defiance after teammate is thrown out for helmet honoring war dead

The Ukrainian bobsled team emotionally protested the disqualification of their compatriot skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych after his run at the Winter Olympics on Thursday.

Heraskevych, 27, who served as Ukraine’s flag bearer at last week’s opening ceremony, was controversially kicked out of the Milan-Cortina games for refusing to replace a ‘commemorative’ helmet depicting victims of the Russian invasion.

His expulsion came less than an hour before he was due to compete as a serious medal contender in the skeleton in Cortina and after the International Olympic Committee refused to give any leeway to its rules on political messaging.

Following Heraskevych’s controversial disqualification, his Ukrainian teammates showed their support by defiantly.

The nation’s bobsledders competed in a team relay race on Thursday evening, just hours after it was confirmed their compatriots had been excluded from the games.

The team, which finished sixth in the medal race at the Cortina Sliding Centre, gathered at the bottom of the track after the women’s duo of Olena Stetskiv and Oleksandra Mokh passed through the final gate and made a united gesture in support of Heraskevych.

A skeleton competitor was banned from competing in the Winter Olympics after he refused to wear a helmet bearing images of those killed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

All six Ukrainian athletes took a knee and raised their helmets in open protest against Heraskevych’s expulsion.

The IOC released a statement at 8.10am local time announcing that Heraskevych had been disqualified after ‘one last opportunity’.

‘The decision came after he refused to comply with the IOC’s guidelines on athlete expression. The decision was made by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) jury because the helmet he intended to wear did not comply with the rules,’ the statement said.

‘The International Olympic Committee has therefore decided with regret to withdraw its accreditation for the Milan Cortina 2026 Games.’

He added: ‘Despite numerous exchanges and personal meetings between the IOC and Mr Heraskevych (the last meeting this morning with IOC President Kirsty Coventry), he has not considered any compromise.

‘The IOC was very keen for Mr Heraskevych to compete. That’s why the IOC sat down with him to find the most respectful way to fulfill his wish to commemorate his fellow athletes who lost their lives following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The essence of this event is not the message, but where he wants to express it.

‘Mr Heraskevych managed to display his helmet in all training runs. The IOC also gave her the option to showcase it while passing through the mixed zone immediately after the competition.

‘Grief is not expressed or perceived in the same way everywhere in the world. To support athletes in their grieving, the IOC established multi-faith centers and a place of mourning in the Olympic Villages, so that grief can be expressed with dignity and respect. There is also the opportunity to wear a black armband during competition under certain conditions.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry (pictured) choked up when confronted by reporters and declared that she ‘really wanted Heraskevych to race’ before stating that it had been an ’emotional morning’.

Vladyslav’s father and coach Mykhailo Heraskevych (left) was devastated when he learned the news

Heraskevych came with his helmet to talk to members of the media. ‘Even if the IOC wants to betray the memories of these athletes, I will not betray them,’ he said.

‘During the Olympic Games, athletes are provided with a variety of opportunities to grieve and express their views, including media mixed areas, social media, press conferences and interviews.’

IOC president Kirsty Coventry made a last-ditch attempt to persuade Heraskevych, who had been fighting with her family on the front line on Thursday morning, to end the standoff, but with neither side willing to back down, the 27-year-old’s accreditation was cancelled.

Coventry choked up telling reporters it had been an ’emotional morning’.

‘I wasn’t supposed to be here, but I thought it was really important to come here and talk to him face to face. “No one, least of all me, opposes this message, it is a strong message, it is a message of remembrance and memory,” the IOC president said.

‘The challenge was finding a solution for the playground. Unfortunately we could not find this solution. I really wanted to see him compete. ‘It was an emotional morning.’

Heraskevych’s immediate response was to post on social media: ‘This is the price of our honour.’

The Ukrainian later said: ‘I was disqualified from the race. I won’t get my Olympic moment.

‘They were killed but their voices are so loud the IOC is afraid of them. I told Coventry that this decision aligned with Russia’s narrative.

The 27-year-old player’s accreditation has been cancelled. It is currently unclear whether he will be kicked out of the Olympic village altogether.

‘I sincerely believe that it is precisely thanks to their sacrifices that these Olympic Games can be held today.

‘Even if the IOC wants to betray the memory of these athletes, I will not betray them.’

It is a deeply saddening end to an astonishing saga, and Heraskevych, Ukraine’s flag bearer at last week’s opening ceremony, will no doubt be praised for giving up medal hopes in favor of a highly evocative point of principle.

In heartbreaking scenes, Heraskevych’s father and trainer Mykhailo was also seen crying perched on a snowbank after learning the news.

The IOC’s decision sparked outrage, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and boxing champion Vladimir Klitschko speaking out against Heraskevych’s ban.

After the extraordinary debate between Heraskevych and the IOC, Zelensky told the racer that ‘courage is more valuable than any medal’.

‘Sport should not mean amnesia, and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors. “Unfortunately, the International Olympic Committee’s decision to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych suggests otherwise,” Zelensky wrote in an emotional statement on social media.

‘This is certainly not about the principles of Olympism, which are based on the promotion of justice and peace. I would like to thank our athlete for his clear stance. His helmet, bearing portraits of fallen Ukrainian athletes, is about honor and remembrance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticizes IOC for banning Heraskevych

‘This reminds the world of what Russian aggression is and the cost of fighting for independence. And no rules have been violated in this regard.’

Zelenskyy went on to restructure Russia’s participation in the Olympics to include 13 ‘neutral’ athletes from the country competing in Italy. A recent BBC investigation found four of this group were linked to activities supporting the war in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy added: ‘It is Russia that constantly violates the Olympic principles by using the Olympic games for war.

‘There was war against Georgia in 2008; the occupation of Crimea in 2014; In 2022 – full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And now, in 2026, despite repeated calls for a ceasefire during the Winter Olympics, Russia remains completely indifferent, increasing missile and drone attacks on our energy infrastructure and our people. 660 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Hundreds of our athletes will never be able to participate in either the Olympic games or international competitions again.

‘But still, 13 Russians are currently competing at the Olympics in Italy. While they compete under “neutral” flags in the games, in real life they openly support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of our territory. And they are the ones who deserve to be disqualified. We are proud of Vladyslav and what he has done. Having courage is more valuable than any medal.’

Meanwhile, Klitschko, who won gold in the super heavyweight category at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, claimed he was ‘ashamed’ of his medal as he attacked the IOC for supporting his compatriot.