Ukrainian Heraskevych loses appeal against Olympics disqualificationUkrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych holds his helmet, which depicts victims of his country's war with Russia. (Photo: AFP)MILAN (ITALY) - Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych on Friday lost his appeal against his disqualification from the Winter Olympics for wearing a helmet adorned with pictures of the Ukrainian war dead. Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milan-Cortina Games on Thursday after refusing to ditch the helmet that features pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it had "denied an application by Skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych (Ukraine) against the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)". The decision to disqualify Heraskevych drew a stinging response on Thursday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the "Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors".

Source: Bangkok Post February 13, 2026 23:05 UTC