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Ukrainian Skeleton Athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych Plans Lawsuit After IOC Bans His “Memory Helmet”
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Vladyslav Heraskevych’s team, the Ukrainian skeleton athlete, plans to take legal action following the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to disqualify him, which he has referred to as a “pro-Russian move.”
Heraskevych and sports lawyer Yevhen Pronin discussed this at a press briefing in Kyiv on February 18.
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The athlete, who was banned by the IOC from competing at the Olympics wearing a “memory helmet” with portraits of athletes killed in the war.
“Although the IOC has betrayed them, I will not betray them. We will continue our fight. I am convinced that these athletes have the right to be on this helmet. They had the right to be there during the competition. In the future, they will still be there,” Heraskevych said.
Yevhen Pronin, the former acting president of the Ukrainian Athletics Federation and sports lawyer, reminded that the Court of Arbitration for Sport had dismissed Heraskevych’s case against the IOC regarding his Olympic disqualification. Ukraine now has 30 days to respond legally.
“This court does not have the usual appeal or cassation process. We have the possibility to approach the Federal Court of Switzerland. We have a team of European lawyers ready to help. To represent our interests in Swiss jurisdiction, we need specialists with the appropriate permits and qualifications,” Pronin explained.
“Now I can analyze and say that the whole world saw how the IOC system is playing into Russia’s hands, Heraskevych stated, “We were able to push aside the curtains behind which the IOC’s pro-Russian game was taking place. I am very glad that after this was revealed, many countries did not stand aside but spoke out in our defense.”
Additionally, the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) ad hoc division for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics rejected Vladyslav Heraskevych’s appeal for reinstatement after he was disqualified from the men's event. This decision followed his plan to compete wearing a helmet featuring portraits of athletes who were killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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CAS stated that Heraskevych challenged the ruling made by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, which withdrew him from the competition. The disqualification came after the International Olympic Committee ruled on February 10 that the helmet violated both the Olympic Charter and the IOC’s Athlete Expression Guidelines. CAS also noted that the IOC's decision had not been contested in this case and “remains in force.”
Earlier, Saint Javelin, a famous online account supporting Ukraine, voiced concerns about what it called inconsistencies in the International Olympic Committee's treatment of Russian and Ukrainian athletes.
In their post, Saint Javelin highlighted that Russian lugers Pavel Repilov and Daria Olesik had competed in previous seasons while displaying the logo of Energon LLC on their gear. This company, which is sanctioned, is connected to drone production for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
