IOC did not limit Heraskevych, but its own reputation, - Sybiha
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha strongly condemned the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
He reported this on social network X, according to Censor.NET.
"The IOC banned not a Ukrainian athlete, but its own reputation. Future generations will remember this as a moment of shame. He simply wanted to honor the memory of athletes who died in the war. There is nothing wrong with that according to any rules or ethics," Sibiga wrote.
He also stressed that the IOC had systematically failed to respond to violations by Russia, which launched three military invasions during the Olympic truce, implemented a large-scale state doping program, killed 650 Ukrainian athletes, and damaged 800 sports facilities in Ukraine.
The minister noted that in the case of Russians, it is they who should be banned, rather than allowing the honor and memory of the victims to be restricted. According to Sybiha, Heraskevych did not betray the memory of Ukrainian athletes and coaches, showing integrity and courage.
"If the Olympic creed states that the most important thing is not victory but participation, then the IOC has completely betrayed it by not allowing Geraskevich to take part in the competition," he added.
Vladyslav Heraskevych and the helmet scandal at the 2026 Olympics
- We would like to remind you 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 Geraskevich 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.
