Zelenskyy blasts Olympics ban for Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych over memorial helmet
The Hindu
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy criticizes IOC's ban on athlete for memorial helmet, calling it a victory for aggressors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday (February 12, 2026) that the decision to ban skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from the Winter Olympics for refusing to ditch a helmet depicting victims of the war with Russia plays "into the hands of aggressors".
Gestures of a political nature during competition are forbidden under the Olympic charter.
The International Olympic Committee said Heraskevych had failed "to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines".
The athlete had insisted he would continue to wear the headgear, which carries pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, in his event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
The IOC said in a statement: "(The decision) was taken by the jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) based on the fact that the helmet he intended to wear was not compliant with the rules."
A defiant Heraskevych posted on X: "This is (the) price of our dignity", alongside a picture of his helmet.
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