BANNED: Ukrainian Olympian Disqualified Over Helmet Picturing War Dead
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milan Cortina Winter Games on Thursday for wearing a helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed in the war with Russia, the International Olympic Committee said.
She was informed of her disqualification following a meeting with IOC President Kirsty Coventry in the skating arena in the early hours of the morning, shortly before the start of her competition. His team said they would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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Coventry told reporters it wanted to meet the athlete face-to-face as a last resort to break the impasse. “I wasn’t supposed to be here but I thought it was really important to come here and talk to him face to face,” Coventry told reporters. “No one, least of all me, opposes this message, it is a strong message, a message of remembrance, of memory.
“The challenge was to find a solution for the playground. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find that solution,” he added, choking up. “I really wanted to see him race, it was an emotional morning.”
“It’s literally about rules and regulations and in this case… we have to be able to provide a safe environment for everyone and unfortunately that means no texting is allowed.”
The IOC had offered him the opportunity to display a “commemorative helmet” featuring images of 24 dead citizens before and after the start of Thursday’s race at the Games, while also allowing him to wear a black armband while competing.
The Ukrainian Olympic Committee, which backed Heraskevych in the case, said it did not plan to boycott the Games over the disqualification.
“I was disqualified from the race. I won’t get my Olympic moment,” Heraskevych said. “They were killed, but their voices are so loud that the IOC is afraid of them. I told Coventry that this decision coincides with Russia’s rhetoric.”
The athlete, who also displayed a “No to War in Ukraine” banner at the Beijing 2022 Olympics days before Russia’s invasion, said, “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.”
Latvian coach Ivo Steinbergs told Reuters he had lodged a protest with the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation for the athlete’s reinstatement.
The skeleton started Thursday morning.
This is not the first time the IOC has sanctioned an athlete for his political message.
The most famous case dates back to the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, when U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their black-gloved fists in the air during the 200-meter medal ceremony to protest racial injustice in the United States.
This led to their expulsion from the Games, but Smith retained his gold medal and Carlos his bronze.
Afghan breakdancer Manizha Talash, a member of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was disqualified for wearing a cape with the slogan “Free Afghan Women” in the qualifying competition.
