NOC of Ukraine supports skeleton pilot Heraskevych

12.02.2026 13:20

Ukrinform

The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine has spoken out in support of Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych, who the International Olympic Committee disqualified for wearing a helmet with portraits of athletes who died during the war at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

According to Ukrinform, the NOC published a statement to this effect on Facebook.

"He was supposed to compete wearing the ‘Helmet of Remembrance’ as a sign of respect for the Ukrainian athletes who died and all our heroes. Today, Vladyslav did not compete, but he was not alone — all of Ukraine was and will be with him. Because when an athlete stands up for truth, honor, and memory, that is already a victory. A victory for Vladyslav. A victory for the whole country," the NOC said in a statement.

In turn, skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych thanked every Ukrainian for their support.

As reported by Ukrinform, Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified before the first race at the 2026 Olympic Games. Heraskevych planned to start the first race in the “Helmet of Memory,” but the start took place without his participation.

The day before, the IOC banned Heraskevych from competing in the “Helmet of Remembrance” at the Olympic Games. For this, the Ukrainian faced disqualification.

Photo: screenshot from video

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