Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from competing at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics following a decision from the International Olympic Committee.
Heraskevych was disqualified for insisting on wearing a helmet that featured images of Ukrainian athletes who lost their lives during Russia’s invasion of their home country. IOC President Kirsty Coventry would not budge on the organization’s stance that Heraskevych’s helmet violated an Olympic charter that states “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
Heraskevych disagreed with this ruling, saying he was “not violating any rules.”
“This is the price of our dignity,” Heraskevych wrote in a social media post after the decision.
Ukrainian lugers supported Heraskevych with a message of solidarity on Thursday, kneeling in protest and raising their helmets above their heads after the mixed team relay event.
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Ukrainian luger Olena Smaha reacted to Heraskevych’s ban with a protest of her own, writing “remembrance is not a violation” on her glove.
The IOC said its decision to ban Heraskevych came “with regret.”
“The IOC was very keen for Mr. Heraskevych to compete,” the organization said in a statement. “This is why the IOC sat down with him to look for the most respectful way to address his desire to remember his fellow athletes who have lost their lives following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed back on the IOC’s decision with a public message on Thursday morning.
“Sport shouldn’t mean amnesia, and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, the decision of the International Olympic Committee to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych says otherwise. This is certainly not about the principles of Olympism, which are founded on fairness and the support of peace.”
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