The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday decided to expel Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, his nation’s flagbearer, from the Milan-Cortina Winter Games for refusing to forgo the use of a helmet adorned with photographs of athletes killed by Russia in the war in his country.
The IOC stated that the removal of accreditation stems from a violation of the Olympic Charter and the code prohibiting political expressions in official competitions, as determined by the jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF).
Heraskevych was scheduled to compete in qualifying heats after defying the IOC during Tuesday and Wednesday’s training runs by wearing the helmet as a tribute to fallen athletes, including weightlifter Alina Perehudova, 14; boxer Pavlo Ischenko; and hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, among others.
Following several prior contacts, IOC President Kirsty Coventry made a final attempt Thursday, meeting with the 26-year-classic Heraskevych before the event to try and persuade him to change his stance. But, after he “refused to change his position” and accept “no type of compromise,” the decision was made to expel him.
“What we have is the price of our dignity,” the athlete proclaimed in a message on his X account, in both Ukrainian and English, accompanied by a photo of the controversial helmet. “I propose to conclude this scandal. I never wanted a scandal with the IOC, nor did I cause it,” Heraskevych argued, demanding the Olympic body lift the ban on the helmet and apologize for the pressure exerted on him.
“For me, the sacrifice of the people represented on the helmet means more than any medal, due to the fact that they gave the most precious thing they had. And simple respect for them is exactly what I want to give them,” the Ukrainian emphasized before his expulsion was formalized.
Ukraine Strongly Criticized the IOC’s Expulsion of Heraskevych
Ukraine strongly criticized the IOC’s decision to expel Heraskevych through its Foreign Minister, Andriy Sibiga.
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not only vetoed a Ukrainian athlete, but its own reputation. Future generations will remember this as a shameful moment,” Sibiga wrote on social media.
The Ukrainian minister also asserted that the expelled athlete “only wanted to commemorate other athletes killed in the war.” “There is nothing wrong with that according to any rule or ethics,” he added.
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy accused the IOC of “betraying” Olympic values and criticized its allowance of Russian athletes to participate as neutral athletes, rather than under their national flag, as is occurring in Milan Cortina d’Ampezzo due to the IOC’s sanctions against Russia for initiating the war.
Sibiga criticized the argument offered by the committee to justify its position of not allowing Heraskevych to compete with the helmet featuring photos of the deceased athletes.
“The IOC has intimidated, disrespected, and even lectured our athlete and other Ukrainians to remain silent about ‘one of the 130 conflicts in the world’,” he concluded.
