“As I said on Feb. 9, 10 and 11, the IOC betrayed them — the fallen athletes — but I will not betray them. We will continue our fight. I am struck by the absurdity of the accusations from the IOC and am fully and absolutely convinced that these athletes have the right to be on this helmet and to be there during competitions. I believe that in the future they will be there again,” Vladyslav said.
Yevhen Pronin, Heraskevych’s lawyer at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, said the skeleton racer has 30 days to decide on further legal action.
“There is an option to apply to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. Some say it should be the Swiss Supreme Court, but in terms of jurisdiction this is simpler.
The question is whether we move forward, and how exactly — that will be decided along the way. This question should be put to Vladyslav, because it is his fate, but judging by how he has behaved in recent days, no one is going to back down,” Pronin said.
Heraskevych was disqualified for violating a ban on using a “helmet of memory” honoring fallen Ukrainian athletes. The International Olympic Committee banned the helmet, saying it allegedly “does not comply with the principles of the Olympic Charter, which require neutrality of equipment and prohibit political or other messages during competition.”
The IOC suggested honoring the fallen athletes by wearing a black ribbon during competition, and displaying the “helmet of memory” before and after the run, as well as during media interactions in the mixed zone. Heraskevych rejected those proposals and was disqualified. He then appealed to CAS, with a hearing held in Milan on Feb. 13. Ultimately, an independent CAS arbitrator upheld the IOC’s decision.
Heraskevych argued that the “helmet of memory” contains no political messages and that the IOC had raised no objections to similar actions in the past. For example, an Italian snowboarder was allowed to compete with a Russian flag on his helmet, even though symbols of the aggressor state are banned at the 2026 Games, and an Israeli athlete appeared at the Olympics wearing a special kippah to honor the memory of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches killed by terrorists at Munich in 1972.
It is also noted that Vladyslav was one of Ukraine’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Olympics. The Games in Italy began on Feb. 6 and will conclude on Feb. 22.
Earlier, Ukrainian athletes supported Heraskevych with a symbolic gesture after a national record at the 2026 Olympics. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Heraskevych the Order of Freedom.“As I said on Feb. 9, 10 and 11, the IOC betrayed them — the fallen athletes — but I will not betray them. We will continue our fight. I am struck by the absurdity of the accusations from the IOC and am fully and absolutely convinced that these athletes have the right to be on this helmet and to be there during competitions. I believe that in the future they will be there again,” Vladyslav said.
Yevhen Pronin, Heraskevych’s lawyer at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, said the skeleton racer has 30 days to decide on further legal action.
“There is an option to apply to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. Some say it should be the Swiss Supreme Court, but in terms of jurisdiction this is simpler.
The question is whether we move forward, and how exactly — that will be decided along the way. This question should be put to Vladyslav, because it is his fate, but judging by how he has behaved in recent days, no one is going to back down,” Pronin said.
Heraskevych was disqualified for violating a ban on using a “helmet of memory” honoring fallen Ukrainian athletes. The International Olympic Committee banned the helmet, saying it allegedly “does not comply with the principles of the Olympic Charter, which require neutrality of equipment and prohibit political or other messages during competition.”
The IOC suggested honoring the fallen athletes by wearing a black ribbon during competition, and displaying the “helmet of memory” before and after the run, as well as during media interactions in the mixed zone. Heraskevych rejected those proposals and was disqualified. He then appealed to CAS, with a hearing held in Milan on Feb. 13. Ultimately, an independent CAS arbitrator upheld the IOC’s decision.
Heraskevych argued that the “helmet of memory” contains no political messages and that the IOC had raised no objections to similar actions in the past. For example, an Italian snowboarder was allowed to compete with a Russian flag on his helmet, even though symbols of the aggressor state are banned at the 2026 Games, and an Israeli athlete appeared at the Olympics wearing a special kippah to honor the memory of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches killed by terrorists at Munich in 1972.
It is also noted that Vladyslav was one of Ukraine’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Olympics. The Games in Italy began on Feb. 6 and will conclude on Feb. 22.
Earlier, Ukrainian athletes supported Heraskevych with a symbolic gesture after a national record at the 2026 Olympics. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Heraskevych the Order of Freedom.