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“Tribute or Rule Break?” — Ukrainian Olympic Hopeful BARRED After Wearing Helmet Honoring War D.ead… And Now the World Is Divided

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Ukrainian Skeleton Racer Banned from Competing in 2026 Winter Olympics Over Helmet of Athletes Who Died in War

The International Olympic Committee said they disqualified Vladyslav Heraskevych over his “refusal to comply” with Olympic rules

Olympia, Olympic Winter Games Milan Cortina 2026, Skeleton, Men, Vladislav Heraskevych (Ukraine) shows his helmet. The Ukrainian Vladislav Heraskevych has been banned from the Olympic skeleton competition in a dispute over his helmet with pictures of fellow athletes killed in the war. Photo: Robert Michael/dpa (Photo by Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Vladislav Heraskevych with his helmet with pictures of fellow athletes killed in the war.Credit :

Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych will no longer compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics after the International Olympic Committee banned him from participating due to his helmet.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Thursday, Feb. 12 that the 27-year-old is “not allowed to participate” due to his “refusal to comply” with the rulebook, which prohibits any political statements on the competition field. Heraskevych’s helmet depicts Ukrainian athletes who have been killed in Russia’s invasion of his country.

Heraskevych had been fighting back and forth with the IOC over wearing the helmet, and on Monday the committee ruled that he was not allowed to wear it in competition, offering instead to let him wear a black armband to honor those killed. The Ukrainian was not deterred, though, and said he would wear it anyway, in defiance of the IOC.

But on Thursday, the IOC took away his Olympic accreditation, “with regret.”

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych during the Men's Skeleton Training at the Cortina Sliding Centre, on day three of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy.

Vladyslav Heraskevych at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty

“Despite multiple exchanges and in-person meetings between the IOC and Mr Heraskevych, the last one this morning with IOC President Kirsty Coventry, he did not consider any form of compromise,” the committee said in a statement. ‘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. The essence of this case is not about the message, it is about where he wanted to express it.”

Mykhailo Heraskevych (L), the father of Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych, reacts after his son was disqualified from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 12, 2026. Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Winter Olympics on February 12, 2026 after refusing to back down over his banned helmet, which depicts victims of his country's war with Russia. In a statement, the International Olympic Committee said Heraskevych is "not allowed to participate at Milano-Cortina 2026 after refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines". (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)

Vladyslav Heraskevych’s father Mykhailo.

Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty

After the decision, Heraskevych’s father, who also serves as his coach, was seen breaking down over the news. The racer also posted a simple statement on X reacting to his disqualification.

“This is [the] price of our dignity,” he wrote in Ukrainian and English.

Heraskevych had said earlier this week that he wants the IOC to recognize that several of the people depicted on his helmet are former Olympians. “We have members of Olympic family, part of Olympic movement, and they don’t even want to honor them,” he said.

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Russia is currently banned from participating in the Olympics due to their ongoing war against Ukraine. Russian athletes wanting to compete can, but under the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), rather than Russia’s flag. They also cannot have openly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Just 13 Russian athletes were approved by the IOC for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

Retired French ice dancer Gabriella Papadakis had just two words for her former partner’s gold medal win at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Papadakis, 30, skated with Guillaume Cizeron for years, and the two even won gold together in 2022. But earlier this year, she accused Cizeron, 31, of being “controlling” and “demanding” in the pages of her memoir So as Not to Disappear. So when Cizeron, 31, took home yet another free dance gold with his new partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry on Feb. 11, Papadakis responded with an Instagram post featuring two well-known stress relievers: a glass of wine and a pack of cigarettes. “Logging off xxx,” she captioned the post. Cizeron has denied Papadakis’s claims against him, telling Reuters in a statement that he was the target of a “smear campaign” and would be pursuing legal action. But Papadakis has continued to defend her decision to speak out, writing in a Feb. 8 Instagram post that she was choosing to share her experiences in the sport “because I believe in a sport where young athletes don’t have to endure what I did in order to achieve their dreams.” Related Stories French Ice Dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron Win Gold amid Ongoing Controversy France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry (L) and France’s Guillaume Cizeron warm up before the figure skating ice dance-free dance final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP via Getty Images) Why French Ice Dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron Are at the Center of Olympic Controversy Laurence Fournier Beaudry and France’s Guillaume Cizeron compete in the figure skating team event ice dance-rhythm dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 9, 2026 in Milan, Italy. “It is however incredibly difficult to make sport safer when survivors’ voices are still being silenced. I had to end my competitive career because I could no longer tolerate abuse. And now, as a result of speaking up about it I’ve lost my job,” she wrote. “I don’t single myself out as a victim. I use my experience to highlight a reality: as long as survivors are punished for speaking out, the sport cannot truly change or become safer. As the Winter Olympics unfold, I encourage you to engage critically with the spectacle. Spectators have power, and the way we choose to watch, support, question, or look away helps shape the culture of the sport.” Papadakis was hired as an NBC commentator for the Milan Cortina Games, but was fired from the gig amid the release of her book, as the network felt it was a conflict of interest with Cizeron competing. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of Team France skate during the Ice Dance Rhythm Dance on day eight of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 12, 2022 in Beijing, China. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Matthew Stockman/Getty “We respect Gabriella’s right to tell the story of her life and career. At the same time, her new book creates a clear conflict of interest,” NBC told The New York Times in a statement in January. “Our responsibility is to deliver coverage that our audience can trust to be free of bias — whether actual or perceived — and we regret that is no longer possible given the circumstances.” In a recent conversation with USA Today Sports’ Christine Brennan, Papadakis said she understands why survivors of abuse don’t speak out. “I think it’s a bigger societal issue because we often wonder why survivors don’t speak out about abuse and why things don’t change, and this is because it has tremendous negative impact on the survivors’ lives,” she said. “And as long as a society we don’t do anything to change that, things won’t change and ignoring the problems doesn’t make them go away.” Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now! Cizeron’s new partner has also dealt with scandal. Beaudry paired up with him in March after her boyfriend and former skating partner Nikolaj Sørensen was suspended from the sport following a sexual assault allegation leveled by a coach and former skater. He has denied the allegation, according to CBC, and his six-year suspension was overturned in June. To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.
Retired French ice dancer Gabriella Papadakis had just two words for her former partner’s gold medal win at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Papadakis, 30, skated with Guillaume Cizeron for years, and the two even won gold together in 2022. But earlier this year, she accused Cizeron, 31, of being “controlling” and “demanding” in the pages of her memoir So as Not to Disappear. So when Cizeron, 31, took home yet another free dance gold with his new partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry on Feb. 11, Papadakis responded with an Instagram post featuring two well-known stress relievers: a glass of wine and a pack of cigarettes. “Logging off xxx,” she captioned the post. Cizeron has denied Papadakis’s claims against him, telling Reuters in a statement that he was the target of a “smear campaign” and would be pursuing legal action. But Papadakis has continued to defend her decision to speak out, writing in a Feb. 8 Instagram post that she was choosing to share her experiences in the sport “because I believe in a sport where young athletes don’t have to endure what I did in order to achieve their dreams.” Related Stories French Ice Dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron Win Gold amid Ongoing Controversy France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry (L) and France’s Guillaume Cizeron warm up before the figure skating ice dance-free dance final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP via Getty Images) Why French Ice Dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron Are at the Center of Olympic Controversy Laurence Fournier Beaudry and France’s Guillaume Cizeron compete in the figure skating team event ice dance-rhythm dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 9, 2026 in Milan, Italy. “It is however incredibly difficult to make sport safer when survivors’ voices are still being silenced. I had to end my competitive career because I could no longer tolerate abuse. And now, as a result of speaking up about it I’ve lost my job,” she wrote. “I don’t single myself out as a victim. I use my experience to highlight a reality: as long as survivors are punished for speaking out, the sport cannot truly change or become safer. As the Winter Olympics unfold, I encourage you to engage critically with the spectacle. Spectators have power, and the way we choose to watch, support, question, or look away helps shape the culture of the sport.” Papadakis was hired as an NBC commentator for the Milan Cortina Games, but was fired from the gig amid the release of her book, as the network felt it was a conflict of interest with Cizeron competing. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of Team France skate during the Ice Dance Rhythm Dance on day eight of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 12, 2022 in Beijing, China. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Matthew Stockman/Getty “We respect Gabriella’s right to tell the story of her life and career. At the same time, her new book creates a clear conflict of interest,” NBC told The New York Times in a statement in January. “Our responsibility is to deliver coverage that our audience can trust to be free of bias — whether actual or perceived — and we regret that is no longer possible given the circumstances.” In a recent conversation with USA Today Sports’ Christine Brennan, Papadakis said she understands why survivors of abuse don’t speak out. “I think it’s a bigger societal issue because we often wonder why survivors don’t speak out about abuse and why things don’t change, and this is because it has tremendous negative impact on the survivors’ lives,” she said. “And as long as a society we don’t do anything to change that, things won’t change and ignoring the problems doesn’t make them go away.” Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now! Cizeron’s new partner has also dealt with scandal. Beaudry paired up with him in March after her boyfriend and former skating partner Nikolaj Sørensen was suspended from the sport following a sexual assault allegation leveled by a coach and former skater. He has denied the allegation, according to CBC, and his six-year suspension was overturned in June. To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

Gabriella Papadakis won gold with Cizeron in the same event in 2022, four years before she accused him…