The Winter Olympics in Italy were rocked by a significant controversy on Thursday when a Ukrainian athlete was disqualified. His offense? Planning to wear a helmet that paid tribute to his countrymen who lost their lives in the ongoing conflict with Russia, a decision that immediately ignited outrage and marked the most substantial crisis of the Games to date.
Vladyslav Heraskevych, a formidable competitor in the perilous skeleton event, had been forewarned by Olympic authorities that his helmet design clashed with the Games’ strict ban on political messaging. Despite this, Heraskevych had publicly declared his intent to compete wearing the commemorative helmet.
Just hours before his scheduled race on Thursday morning, Heraskevych engaged in an emotional discussion with Kirsty Coventry, the President of the International Olympic Committee, at the Cortina d’Ampezzo track. The tense meeting concluded without resolution: Heraskevych was officially prohibited from competing, and both Coventry and the athlete’s father were visibly distraught, shedding tears over the inability to find a middle ground.
After the meeting, Ms. Coventry, who is overseeing her first Olympic Games, expressed the importance of their direct conversation, stating, “I felt that it was really important to come and talk to him face to face.”
Coventry’s personal involvement highlighted the profound implications of this controversy, which quickly spread from Cortina to Milan, the I.O.C.’s headquarters, and even reached Ukraine. There, President Volodymyr Zelensky lauded Heraskevych’s brave stance and condemned Olympic officials, accusing them of inadvertently aiding aggressors.
In a powerful social media post, President Zelensky articulated, “His helmet, bearing the portraits of fallen Ukrainian athletes, is about honor and remembrance. It is a reminder to the whole world of what Russian aggression is and the cost of fighting for independence.”
Image: Vladyslav Heraskevych, seen with his father Mykhailo Heraskevych, addresses the media at the Ukrainian consulate in Milan following his disqualification.
Image: Heraskevych’s helmet, at the center of the dispute, which he argued was a form of tribute similar to others seen at the Games.
Later that evening, at a news conference held at the Ukrainian consulate in Milan, Heraskevych announced an appeal hearing scheduled for Friday. Earlier, speaking to reporters in Cortina, he steadfastly maintained that his actions had not violated any regulations.
He passionately declared, “There are things more important than medals. I stood up for what I believe in.”
The International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) defended its decision, with chief spokesman Mark Adams emphasizing the need to uphold “the sanctity of the field of play.” According to Olympic officials, Heraskevych’s helmet, adorned with the portraits of 21 Ukrainian athletes who perished in Russian attacks—some of whom were his personal friends—crossed the line into prohibited political messaging during competition.
It’s worth noting that in 2020, the I.O.C. had relaxed its regulations, permitting athletes to express political views via social media or to journalists, but explicitly not during competition or medal ceremonies. Heraskevych had worn his “remembrance helmet” during practice sessions earlier in the week, setting the stage for a confrontation regarding its use in the actual competition.
During a daily news conference, Mr. Adams disclosed that the I.O.C. had attempted to find a compromise, proposing that Heraskevych wear a black armband to honor the fallen athletes and permitting him to display his helmet in the post-race media zone. However, the athlete rejected these proposals.
Adams underscored the I.O.C.’s firm stance, explaining that the rules must be maintained to prevent the Games from devolving into “chaos” amidst global conflicts.
He warned that if all athletes were to express themselves beyond sanctioned symbols like a black armband, the “field of play” would transform into a “field of expression,” undermining the neutrality of the Games.
Image: Heraskevych proudly carried Ukraine’s flag during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Cortina.
Critics swiftly accused Olympic officials of hypocrisy. Despite the I.O.C. characterizing the war in Ukraine as one of many global conflicts, Russia’s Olympic committee remains the sole entity formally banned from Olympic competition. This suspension, initiated in 2022, followed Russia’s integration of official sports organizations from four occupied Ukrainian territories.
While no longer eligible to compete, Heraskevych, who proudly served as Ukraine’s flag-bearer, has been permitted by the I.O.C. to remain at the Italian Olympics. His strong performance in training, where he ranked sixth among 25 competitors, had placed him firmly in medal contention, making his disqualification a somber shadow over the event’s start on Thursday.
Heraskevych asserted that his tribute was consistent with displays by other athletes, citing American figure skater Max Naumov, who publicly honored his parents with a photograph after his competition. Naumov’s parents were tragically among the 67 fatalities in a midair collision near Washington, D.C., a little over a year prior.
This isn’t the first time Heraskevych has used the Olympic stage to highlight Ukraine’s plight. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, as Russian troops amassed near his country’s borders, he concluded his final run by holding up a sign that powerfully stated, “No war in Ukraine.”
Ukrainian officials and fellow athletes have rallied behind Heraskevych. Following the luge team relay on Thursday night, Ukrainian team members knelt and raised their helmets in a poignant display of solidarity, many visibly emotional. Earlier in the week, Ukrainian luger Olena Smaha had worn a glove inscribed with the defiant message: “Remembrance is not a violation.”
Image: Ukrainian luge team members kneel and raise their helmets in a powerful show of support for their disqualified teammate.
Image: Ukrainian luger Olena Smaha wears a glove with the message “Remembrance is not a violation” during her competition.
Ivo Steinbergs, coach of the Latvian skeleton team, has drafted a protest letter advocating for Heraskevych’s reinstatement and a clearer definition from the I.O.C. distinguishing memorial tributes from political statements. He is actively encouraging other teams to sign it.
Steinbergs recounted the devastating scene: Heraskevych being summoned by Ms. Coventry and other officials before his first heat, only to emerge with a disqualification letter, his father weeping by his side.
“And that was the end of his Olympics,” Steinbergs lamented. “He was going for this for 12 years, and they just stole it from him.”
Tom Johansen, the Danish skeleton team coach, criticized the expectation that a Ukrainian athlete could simply set aside the realities of war and “just act like a robot” during the Olympics.
Rasmus Vestergaard Johansen, a fellow racer and friend of Heraskevych, added, “He is representing young people who died way too early, and I don’t think any athlete, any people, should go through what Ukraine and what Vlad have gone through.”
Before her election as I.O.C. president last year, Ms. Coventry, a two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist for Zimbabwe, was instrumental in shaping the organization’s rules regarding athlete expression.
During her initial year as president, Ms. Coventry has strongly advocated for maintaining a clear separation between sports and politics, stressing that athletic events should serve as “neutral ground.”
However, the I.O.C. itself has encountered scrutiny in Italy concerning the participation of certain Russian athletes under “neutral” status. Additionally, the opening ceremonies were marred by protests in Milan targeting the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, who were part of a State Department security detail for the Games.
Fans expressed deep disappointment over Heraskevych’s disqualification. A Ukrainian family, wrapped in their national flag, marched through Cortina, criticizing the I.O.C.’s ruling as unjust.
Natalia Tverdokhlib, 44, a Ukrainian living in Germany who traveled to Cortina to see Heraskevych race, called the decision “discrimination.” She argued, “His helmet wasn’t political. It showed respects for the athletes who died.”
Her 15-year-old daughter, Mariia, added that upon hearing of his ban, they opted not to purchase tickets and instead walked around Cortina. She described their feelings as heartbroken, yet “really proud of him.”