Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the IOC’s decision to disqualify Vladyslav Heraskevych and thanked the athlete for taking a stand.
Zelensky issued a statement on the controversy surrounding the Ukrainian skeleton athlete’s “Memory Helmet,” stressing that sport should not mean amnesia and that the Olympic movement must help stop wars, not play into the hands of an aggressor.
The President sharply condemned the International Olympic Committee’s move to disqualify Heraskevych over his “Memory Helmet.” He said the decision is “certainly not about the principles of Olympism, which are based on fairness and support for peace.”
Zelensky thanked the athlete for his stance, noting that a helmet bearing portraits of fallen Ukrainian athletes is a symbol of remembrance and respect—a reminder to the world of the price Ukrainians pay in their fight for independence. He emphasized that this does not violate any rules.
The President recalled that Russia has systematically violated Olympic principles by launching wars during the Games: in 2008 against Georgia, in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea, and in 2022 with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Now, in 2026, despite calls for a ceasefire during the Winter Games, Russia continues to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilians with missiles and drones.
Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has killed 660 Ukrainian athletes and coaches, and hundreds will never again be able to compete internationally.
Meanwhile, 13 Russian athletes are competing at the Olympics in Italy under “neutral” flags, though in reality they publicly support aggression and the occupation of Ukrainian territory. According to Zelensky, they are the ones who deserve to be disqualified.
“We are proud of Vladyslav and his act. Having courage is more than having medals,” Zelensky said.
