Ukrainian skeleton athlete out of Olympics over banned helmet - ESPN

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych will not compete at the Milan Cortina Games on Thursday after refusing a last-minute plea from the International Olympic Committee to use a helmet other than the one that honors more than 20 of his country's athletes and coaches killed in the war with Russia.

The decision came roughly 45 minutes before the start of the competition, ending a three-day saga where Heraskevych knew he was risking being pulled from the Games by wearing the helmet, one that the IOC says goes against rules against making statements on the field of play.

He received written word Thursday from the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, which said his decision to wear the helmet was «inconsistent with the Olympic Charter and Guidelines on Athlete Expression.» He wore the helmet in training, but the IOC had asked him to wear a different helmet in races and offered concessions such as the right to wear a black armband or the ability to display the helmet once he was off the ice.

«I believe, deeply, the IBSF and IOC understand that I'm not violating any rules,» Heraskevych said. «Also, I would say [it's] painful that it really looks like discrimination because many athletes already were expressing themselves.… They didn't face the same things. So suddenly just the Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for the helmet.»

IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who was slated to be in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Thursday to see Alpine skiing, went to the sliding center instead to meet Heraskevych. She was waiting at the top of the track when he arrived around 8:15 a.m., and they met privately a few minutes later. After about 10 minutes, Coventry was unable to