Zelenskyy on Heraskevych's disqualification: Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play along with aggressor

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced support for Ukrainian skeleton athlete and flag bearer of the Ukrainian national team at the XXV Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ahead of the first run of the 2026 Olympics on Thursday due to his principled refusal to comply with the ban on using a helmet bearing portraits of Ukrainian athletes killed during the war, and criticized the IOC’s decision.

"Sport does not mean oblivion, and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of the aggressor. Unfortunately, the decision of the International Olympic Committee to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych says otherwise. This is certainly not about the principles of Olympism, which are based on fairness and support for peace," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Thursday.

He thanked Heraskevych "for his clear stance." "His helmet bearing portraits of fallen Ukrainian athletes is about honor and memory. It is a reminder to the whole world of what Russian aggression is and what price is paid in the struggle for independence. And there is no violation of any rule in this… We are proud of Vladyslav and his act. Having courage is more than having medals," the president stressed.

Zelenskyy noted that it is Russia that constantly violates Olympic principles and uses the time of the Olympics for war, and pointed to the participation of Russian athletes in the Games.

"Some 660 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed by Russia during the full-scale war. Hundreds of our athletes will never again be able to participate in the Olympic Games or any other international competitions. Yet 13