Kiev - Ukraine sees the banning of its skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from the Winter Olympics 2026 as a moment of shame, accodring to Foreign Minister Andrii Syabiha on Thursday, 12 February 2026.
Vladyslav Heraskevych, skeleton racer from Ukraine, was wearing protection helmet with decorated with photos of Ukrainian athletes, coaches and sports management members in Russia aggression into its country's territory in the last three years.
The Winter Olympic organizer has urged him to change the helmet as according to International Olympics Committee (IOC) that athlete is free from political expression.
However, Heraskevych refused to change his memory helmet, saying that it's not against the rule. He was later disqualified from the Winter Olympics, held this year in Italy.
"The IOC has banned not the Ukrainian athlete, but its own reputation. Future generations will recall this as a moment of shame," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Syabiha said regarding the disqualification.
"He simply wanted to commemorate fellow athletes killed in war. There is nothing wrong with that under any rules or ethics. The IOC intimidated, disrespected, and even lectured our athlete and other Ukrainians on how they should keep quiet about “one of 130 conflicts in the world”. The IOC has also systemically failed to confront the greatest abuser of international sports and the Olympic Charter — Russia," he highlighted.
Russian athletes must be banned from participating in the olympics rather then disqualify athletes whom commemorate victims of Russia's wars, Syabiha said.
He counted that Rusia has started three invasions during the Olympic Truce in the past three decades. At least 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches were killed and 800 sports facilities damaged Russia attacks towards Ukraine.
Syabiha also congratulated Heraskevych for his brave attitude in the olympic, taking the risk of disqualification to honor his commemorates in sports.***
