DQ-ed Ukrainian Athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych Hopes 'Truth Will Prevail...'!

Last Updated:February 13, 2026, 20:53 IST

Heraskevych was banned from the Games for refusing to stop wearing a helmet featuring images of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych voiced that the truth will prevail after he appealed his disqualification from the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at sport’s top court on Friday.

Heraskevych, 27, was banned from the Games on Thursday for refusing to stop wearing a helmet featuring images of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Political gestures during competition are prohibited under the Olympic charter, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that Heraskevych did not comply with the IOC athlete expression guidelines. The decision sparked outrage in Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying it played into the hands of aggressors.

Olympic athletes can appeal decisions made by their sport’s federations at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is currently in Milan.

After the CAS hearing, Heraskevych said, “I’m really thankful for the opportunity to speak. We were treated equally in the hearing room, and our arguments were heard. We are waiting for the decision, but I am optimistic about how it went. I hope truth will prevail, as I know I am innocent."

The qualifying for Heraskevych’s event occurred on Thursday, with the final scheduled for Friday. It remains unclear what his reinstatement would mean.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams stated on Friday: “Speculating on the court case outcome at this stage is not helpful. We will address the result accordingly, but we must wait for the decision."

Kirsty Coventry, the IOC president and a former Olympic gold medallist in swimming, met with Heraskevych, who was one of Ukraine’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony, on Thursday to unsuccessfully persuade him to change his mind about the helmet before his competition began.

Coventry said: “My conversation with Vlad and his father yesterday was very good and respectful. It was a chance for us to speak as athletes. That was important for me and, I believe, for him. I shared with him how the process works."

However, on the subject of political messages, Coventry added, “The rules are the rules as they stand today."

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