Vladyslav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian skeleton athlete disqualified from Olympic competition Thursday for his refusal to change his helmet honoring fellow athletes who have died during Russia’s invasion of his country, had his appeal denied by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday. Heraskevych missed the first two runs of the men’s skeleton competition Thursday after being pulled from the start list following an eligibility ruling by the IBSF. Heraskevych’s “helmet of memory,” which he wore during training sessions earlier this week, has been the subject of one of the biggest controversies this week at the Olympics. The IOC said the helmet, covered with images of Ukrainian athletes who have died since Russia’s invasion, violates its rules on athlete expression during competition. Heraskevych countered that the IOC’s rules on messaging are unclear and that he didn’t believe the helmet violated the rules.

Source: International New York Times February 14, 2026 07:05 UTC