Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky presented the award to Wladyslaw Heraskewytsch at the Munich Security Conference and thanked him for his stance in public remarks and a post on X.
- Heraskewytsch had been excluded from the skeleton event after the IOC refused permission for a helmet honoring athletes killed in Russia’s war and the IBSF enforced the decision.
- The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the exclusion after a hearing in Italy, confirming he would not be reinstated for competition.
- During the Munich meeting, Heraskewytsch displayed the helmet featuring portraits of about 20 fallen athletes, with his father Mykhailo in attendance.
- IOC President Kirsty Coventry defended the rulebook on political expressions, and CAS cited IOC guidelines as a balance between athlete expression and preserving focus on competition.