KYIV — Ukrainians are uniting in support and solidarity with their skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych after he was banned Thursday from the Milan Cortina Games. He insisted on wearing a helmet with images of Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was disqualified for refusing the International Olympic Committee's request that he replace it.
"This is price of our dignity," Heraskevych wrote on Instagram after learning he had been disqualified.
Ukrainians supported him by posting photos on social media with the caption "Remembrance is not a violation," referring to the IOC decision that portraits of those killed in war constituted a political statement that is prohibited at the Olympics.
Among those showing solidarity with the athlete were a lot of Ukrainian soldiers, taking support photos on the front line.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the athlete, writing that his helmet is "a reminder to the whole world of what Russian aggression is and what the price of the fight for independence is."
Later Zelenskyy awarded the skeleton racer the Order of Liberty, saying it was "For selfless service to the Ukrainian people, civic courage and patriotism in upholding the ideals of freedom and democratic values."
Ukraine is about to enter its fifth year of the full-scale war and is experiencing its hardest winter with frigid weather and constant Russian attacks on the country's energy facilities.
The night before Heraskevych was disqualified, Russia launched another massive attack on the power grid.
The European Union Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, said she was angry and disappointed when she learned about the Ukrainian athlete being excluded.
"This year's Olympics certainly did not stop Russia. It attacks Ukraine every day. Again this night they damaged another thermal power plant. In Kyiv, another 2,600 residential buildings were left without heating — making it 3,700 high rises without heat. At least six people were injured, including a four-year-old child in Dnipro," Mathernova wrote on Facebook.
Some 660 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to Zelenskyy.
"UKR heroes with us"
Ukrainian fencer and two-time Olympic champion Olga Kharlan wrote on Facebook that Heraskevych's position is about dignity, memory and respect for those "who will never be able to compete again." Kharlan herself experienced disqualification — in 2023 she was banned from the World Championships for refusing to shake the hand of Anna Smirnova, a Russian athlete who was competing under a neutral flag. Her disqualification was later canceled.
Another Ukrainian Olympic champion, boxer Wladimir Klitschko posted Heraskevych's photo on Instagram, writing, "When I think of my Olympic medal today, I don't feel pride anymore. I feel shame. For the IOC, the show must go on. I'm here to say what they don't want to hear: the killing must stop."
Other Ukrainian athletes currently competing at the Winter Games also showed support. The country's luge team knelt and raised their helmets after competing. And skier Dmytro Shepiuk held up a yellow note on his glove saying "UKR heroes with us."
Heraskevych can stay but can't race
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the Ukrainian skeleton racer can continue to be at the Milan Cortina Games despite not being able to compete. Heraskevych filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over his disqualification.
Meanwhile Ukrainians on social media are calling on Ukraine's sport officials to hire the best lawyers to challenge the Olympic committee's decision.
For many of Heraskevych's supporters this is now a matter of justice — Ukrainians already call him a national hero and say that for them, he has won, even without competing in a race.
Copyright 2026 NPR