Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Geraskevych, who was entrusted to carry the country's flag at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee from participating in the quadrennial competition because, despite the ban, he intended to start (February 12 at 10:30) wearing a “memory helmet.”
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“This morning, after arriving at the competition venue, Vladyslav Geraskevych met with IOC President Kirsty Coventry. During the conversation, she once again outlined the IOC's position, but the athlete refused to change his position,” the IOC reported.
Recall that the scandal erupted after the 27-year-old athlete performed at training in a helmet with photos of 24 Ukrainian athletes killed by Russian occupiers. After that, IOC officials banned the Ukrainian from training and performing in a “memory helmet”, suggesting that he go out on the course with a mourning ribbon on his sleeve or demonstrate the helmet, for example, in the mixed zone. But Geraskevych, being sure that he did not violate any Olympic principles, was adamant. “I will not betray their memory,” said Vladislav, of course, suspecting that he was threatened with disqualification.
Before the start of the competition, Geraskevych recorded another video appeal to the IOC, demanding that the ban on the use of the “memory helmet” be lifted, that it apologize for the pressure exerted on it in recent days, and, as a sign of solidarity with Ukrainian sports, that it donate power generators for the sports facilities of our country, which are under attack every day.
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ADVERTISING — Vladyslav Heraskevych OLY (@heraskevych) February 12, 2026
By the way, the wards of the head of the International Olympic Committee Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe also banned the helmets of Ukrainian freestyler Kateryna Kotsar (with the inscription Be Brave Like Ukrainians) and short track speed skater Oleg Gandei (with the words of Lina Kostenko “Where there is heroism, there is no final defeat”).
At the same time, the hypocrites from the IOC ignored the Russian flag in the stands during the figure skating competitions, the demonstration by the American figure skater with Russian roots, Maxim Naumov, of a photo of his parents who died in a plane crash, and the Russian flag on the helmet of the Italian snowboarder Roland Fishnaller (they say that on his helmet there are only the flags of the countries where he competed at the Olympic Games).
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Moreover, Geraskevych himself directly asked IOC officials how his case differed from that of another skeleton athlete, Israeli Jared Firestone, who also carried his country's flag at the opening ceremony of the Games. The athlete's helmet bore the names of 11 Israeli athletes killed by terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics. On the helmet — okay, but not on the helmet? Shame!
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Previously, “FACTS” reported that Vladyslav Geraskevych spoke out against the war in Ukraine right on the track at the Beijing Olympics.
Photos from social networks