3 days ago
12
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy — Ukrainian skeleton jock Vladyslav Heraskevych is retired of the Milan Cortina Games aft refusing a last-minute plea from the International Olympic Committee to usage a helmet different than the 1 that honors athletes killed successful the warfare with Russia.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry was waiting for Heraskevych astatine the apical of the way erstwhile helium arrived astir 8:15 a.m. Thursday, oregon astir 75 minutes earlier the commencement of the men's skeleton race.
They went into a backstage country and spoke briefly, and Coventry was incapable to alteration Heraskevych's mind. He was holding the determination from the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation erstwhile helium concisely addressed reporters and said helium would entreaty to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"It's hard to accidental oregon enactment into words. It's emptiness," helium said.
Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych reacts aft being disqualified from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games successful Cortina d'Ampezzo connected Feb. 12, 2026.
Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images
Coventry spoke with reporters aft the meeting, tears rolling down her look arsenic she spoke.
"It's a connection of representation and nary 1 is disagreeing with that," Coventry said.
The IOC added that it made its determination "with regret."
"Despite aggregate exchanges and in-person meetings betwixt the IOC and Mr Heraskevych, the past 1 this greeting with IOC President Kirsty Coventry, helium did not see immoderate signifier of compromise," the IOC said successful a statement. "The IOC was precise keen for Mr Heraskevych to compete. This is wherefore the IOC sat down with him to look for the astir respectful mode to code his tendency to retrieve his chap athletes who person mislaid their lives pursuing Russia's penetration of Ukraine. The essence of this lawsuit is not astir the message, it is astir wherever helium wanted to explicit it."
Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych is seen during the Men's Skeleton Training astatine the Cortina Sliding Center, connected time 3 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics successful Italy connected Feb. 9, 2026.
Andrew Milligan / PA Images/Getty
Heraskevych came to the Olympics with a customized helmet showing the faces of much than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches who were killed during the war, a struggle that started soon aft the 2022 Beijing Games ended.
The IOC said Monday nighttime that the helmet wouldn't beryllium allowed successful competition, citing a regularisation against making governmental statements connected the Olympic tract of play. Heraskevych wore the helmet for grooming Tuesday and Wednesday anyway, knowing the IOC could yet support him from the Olympic race.
"The helmet does not interruption immoderate IOC rules," Heraskevych said.
The IOC had nary contiguous comment.
The IOC had sided with Heraskevych before. When helium displayed a "No warfare successful Ukraine" motion aft his 4th and last tally astatine the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the IOC said helium was simply calling for bid and did not find him successful usurpation of the Olympic charter.
"We privation him to compete. We really, truly privation him to person his moment," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said Wednesday. "That's very, precise important. We privation each athletes to person their infinitesimal and that's the point. We privation each our athletes to person a just and level playing field."
The archetypal 2 runs of the contention were Thursday, with the last 2 runs connected Friday night. Heraskevych was a morganatic medal hopeful.
In:
English (US) ·