The International Olympic Committee has banned Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing in the men’s skeleton due to his helmet.
The Ukrainian slider had made headlines earlier this week for his helmet which featured fellow athletes killed in the war with Russia.
Heraskevych wore the helmet during training on Monday, after vowing to keep attention on the Ukraine-Russia conflict at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
On his helmet were boxer Pavlo Ischenko, weightlifter Alina Perehudova, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov, diving athlete and coach Mykyta Kozubenko and dancer Daria Kurdel.
However due to IOC rules, the helmet was banned.
Meanwhile, Heraskevych refused to back down.
Political demonstrations are prohibited at the Olympic Games, with rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter stating: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
Now, the IOC has confirmed it has banned Heraskevych from competing in the race.
In a statement, the IOC said: “Having been given one final opportunity, skeleton pilot Vladylsav Heraskevych from Ukraine will not be able to start his race at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this morning.
“The decision followed his refusal to comply with the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression.
“It 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.
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has therefore decided with regret to withdraw his accreditation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games.”
It added: “The IOC was very keen for Mr Heraskevych to compete.
“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.”
In a post on X, Heraskevych responded with the words: “This is the price of our dignity.”
In 2022 at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Heraskevych held up a sign saying “No War in Ukraine” just days before Russia’s invasion of his country.
He has recently said he intends to respect Olympic rules against political demonstrations, but wants to keep Ukraine’s situation visible during these Olympics.
Russian and Belarusian athletes were largely barred from international sport in 2022 after Russia’s invasion, but some athletes have retuned to competition since.