Overview
- The IOC said the IBSF jury ruled Vladyslav Heraskevych’s helmet non‑compliant, leading to his disqualification and withdrawal of his Games accreditation.
- Heraskevych planned to race in a “Helmet of Remembrance” bearing portraits of Ukrainians killed in the war, which was permitted in training but barred for competition with a plain black armband proposed instead.
- IOC President Kirsty Coventry met Heraskevych at the track on race morning in a last attempt to find a solution, but no compromise was reached.
- Heraskevych told CNN he will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
- Ukraine’s NOC publicly backed the athlete, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the ruling and later awarded Heraskevych the Order of Freedom, and lawmakers urged the IOC to allow remembrance symbols and reassess Russian and Belarusian participation.