Amid the controversial decision to disqualify him from the 2026 Winter Olympics, Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych has been awarded the Order of Freedom by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Heraskevych, a likely contender for a skeleton medal this year, was barred from the Milan Cortina Games when he insisted on wearing a “helmet of memory,” depicting 22 athletes and coaches who had been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The athlete had conceived of the helmet himself, collaborating with Ukrainian landscape artist Iryna Prots. Rendered in meticulous detail and a monochrome color palette, Prots’s portraits encompass young gymnasts killed in Russian airstrikes to prominent weightlifters murdered on the frontlines, a mere fraction of the 660 fellow athletes who have died throughout the war.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) warned Heraskevych that the helmet violated its rules against political statements, and informed him that, though he could wear the gear while training, he could not don it during his races. Still, Heraskevych insisted on showcasing his tribute during the competition itself, some 45 minutes before he was slated to hit the ice, the IOC officially disqualified him.
“As you’ve all seen over the last few days, we’ve allowed for Vladyslav to use his helmet in training,” IOC president Kirsty Coventry said. “No one, no one—especially me—is disagreeing with the messaging. The messaging is a powerful message. It’s a message of remembrance. It’s a message of memory and no one is disagreeing with that. The challenge that we are facing is that we wanted to ask or come up with a solution for just the field of play.”
Once he lost his appeal against his disqualification in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Heraskevych flew to Munich, where he was greeted by Zelenskyy. There, the Ukrainian president presented Heraskevych with the country’s Order of Freedom, telling the athlete that “remembrance is not a violation.”
“Ukraine will always have champions and Olympians,” Zelenskyy continued. “But above all, Ukraine’s greatest asset is Ukrainians—those who cherish the truth and the memory of the athletes killed by Russia, athletes who will never compete again because of the Russian aggression. Thank you for your stance, your strength, and your courage.”
Aside from Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s relay luge team also honored Heraskevych’s commitment to action. After crossing the finish line during their February 12 race, all six sliders took a knee and lifted up their blank helmets in solidarity with Heraskevych, with the Latvian team following suit. Prots, the artist behind the helmet’s design, also expressed his support for Heraskevych, alongside hundreds on social media.
“He could have refused, he could have said, ‘Fine, I’ll wear another helmet and fight for a medal,’” Prots told the Associated Press. “He didn’t do that. To stand up for his truth—that is great heroism.”
This isn’t the first time that Heraskevych has spoken out about the Russian invasion. At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the athlete held up a “No War in Ukraine” sign after his fourth and final run. The IOC did not find him in violation of the Olympic charter, claiming he was simply advocating for peace. The initiative would earn Heraskevych the honor of bearing the Ukrainian flag for the 2026 Olympic opening ceremony.
“Sport shouldn’t mean amnesia, and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media last week. “Unfortunately, the decision of the International Olympic Committee to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych says otherwise.”
Following his controversial disqualification from the Olympic Games, skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych received Ukraine’s Order of Freedom from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Heraskevych was banned from this year’s Winter Olympics when he insisted on wearing a “helmet of memory” depicting more than 20 athletes and coaches killed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since his disqualification, several athletes have expressed their support for Heraskevych, including Ukraine’s relay luge team.
Наші санкарі після виступу у змішаній естафеті на Олімпійських іграх 2026
Вболіваємо за нашу збірну! pic.twitter.com/6bGXNLK2fe
— Vladyslav Heraskevych OLY (@heraskevych) February 12, 2026
Sources: Disqualified at the Olympics, Ukrainian skeleton racer gains a different top honor; Volodymyr Zelenskyy honours disqualified skeleton racer with order of freedom; ‘He’s won the medal of our hearts’: What slider’s disqualification for honoring fallen athletes means to Ukrainians; Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych out of Winter Olympics because of banned helmet honoring war dead; Artist behind banned Ukrainian Olympic helmet calls Heraskevych’s tribute ‘great heroism’
Related Articles:
Olympic Flame Begins Its Journey to the 2026 Winter Games in Milan & Cortina d’Ampezzo
Mongolia’s 2026 Olympic Outfits Ignite Social Media With Heritage-Driven Style
Olympic Polish Team Brought a Smiling Pierogi Plushie With Them and Fans Love the Mini Mascot