IOC disqualified not Vlad, but all of Ukraine. Memory of Ukrainian heroes is not for sale, - coach
The father and coach of skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified by the IOC, said that they plan to appeal the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
He stated this in a comment to Suspilne, as reported by Censor.NET.
What is known?
Ms. Coventry, the newly elected president of the IOC, tried to convince us that displaying athletes killed by Russia would create chaos in the Olympic movement. That it was wrong and would interfere with the celebration (of the Olympics). But it looked strange, because the whole world saw that helmet.
She suggested that I hold it at the start, and Vlad would descend wearing some other helmet — it is unclear which one, because Vlad is not accustomed to it. And then I would hand this helmet to Vlad. It was like a trade, of course, which is unacceptable, because the memory of Ukrainian heroes cannot be sold, and he would never agree to that," he emphasized.
Memory
According to Mykhaylo Heraskevych, Ms. Coventry and all her assistants at the IOC have forgotten the history of the Olympic Games.
"If we look at the origins of the Olympic Games, we see that they were created to honor fallen heroes and warriors. That is why sword fighting and running races were invented—anything that imitated the activities of a warrior on the battlefield.
It was a tribute to fallen soldiers, the original purpose of the Olympic Games. Our helmet emphasized the original purpose of the Olympic Games. I regret that the IOC and its president, Ms. Coventry, who is herself an Olympic champion, have forgotten history. And we know that those who forget history are unlikely to move forward in the right direction," he explained.
Lawsuit
Heraskevich also stated that they are prepared to file a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"Because Vlad's honor was hurt, and our years of work were ruined. It's not just about the taxpayers' money that helped us in this activity. We were in very good shape, as can be seen from the results of the latest control training sessions. Looking at the athletes' results, Vlad would have been in the podium zone with his results. It would have been a fight for a medal," he added.
The IOC attempted to erase the memory of Ukrainian heroes. The IOC did not disqualify Vladyslav, but rather Ukraine. We have unprecedented support from the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, the Ministry of Sports, the NOC of Ukraine, and our soldiers. There is a lot of evidence on the internet where soldiers from the front line expressed their support for Vlad. We have the support of the Ukrainian people. This is a disqualification of democracy for the sake of private interests, due to the emotional pressure of Russian sponsors," the coach concluded.
Vladislav Heraskevich and the helmet scandal at the 2026 Olympics
- Allso remind, that on February 9, the athlete took part in official training for the first time wearing a helmet decorated with black-and-white photographs of athletes who died as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- After that, it became known that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not allow Heraskevych to compete in this helmet, but suggested replacing it with a black bandage or ribbon without personalization.
- Geraskevich's reaction: the athlete came to the next training session wearing the same helmet that had been banned by the IOC.
- On February 12, the IOC announced the disqualification of Geraskevich.
