Vladyslav Heraskevych was not allowed to compete Thursday after refusing a last-minute plea from the International Olympic Committee to use a helmet other than the one that honors more than 20 of his country's athletes and coaches killed in the war with Russia

Vladyslav Heraskevych, a Ukrainian skeleton pilot, will not be allowed to compete in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games after refusing to comply with guidelines of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The Ukrainian luge team emotionally protested the disqualification of their compatriot, skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, following their run at the Winter Olympics on Thursday.

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladylsav Heraskevych has been disqualified from the Winter Olympics due to his helmet, which features pictures of people killed in the war with Russia.

Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych is banned from the Winter Olympics for a helmet depicted athletes killed by Russia.

The decision came roughly 45 minutes before the start of the competition and ended a three-day saga where Vladyslav Heraskevych knew he was risking being pulled from the Games by wearing the helmet

Vladyslav Heraskevych has refused to back down over the helmet which depicts victims of his country’s war with Russia.

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Olympic race for wearing a “helmet of remembrance” honouring athletes killed since Russia’s invasion, breaching IOC rules banning political messages in competition. He can remain at the Games after a last-minute intervention by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, while his team plans to appeal the disqualification.

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified at the 2026 Winter Olympics after refusing to remove a helmet honoring athletes killed in Russia's war on Ukraine, which features portraits of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Ukraine bobsled skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from the Olympics for refusing to replace a helmet that honored dead Ukrainians, officials said Thursday.

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych pushed at the limits of the International Olympic Committee's rules on freedom of expression, and the global sports body pushed back. That created an emotional and historic moment of Winter Games lore. Heraskevych insisted on wearing a helmet in competition with the images of Ukrainian…

A Ukrainian athlete will not compete in the Olympics after his helmet that pays tribute to countrymen and women killed in the war with Russia was banned.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said on Wednesday the organisation was “begging” Heraskevych to reconsider his position.