Photo: AFP via Getty ImagesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday criticised the International Olympic Committee's decision to disqualify skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, saying it contradicted the spirit of the Games. President Zelensky said: "Unfortunately, the decision of the International Olympic Committee to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych says otherwise," adding the athlete's helmet bearing images of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war was a reminder of Russian aggression. I will not get my Olympic moment," said Heraskevych, who according to the International Olympic Committee would have contravened rules aimed at keeping politics off the field of play. Mykhailo Heraskevych (l), the father of Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych, reacts after his son was disqualified. Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych takes part in the skeleton men's training session at Cortina Sliding Centre yesterday.

Source: Irish Independent February 12, 2026 16:46 UTC