In brief
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified from the Winter Olympics after refusing to remove his controversial helmet that memorializes fellow athletes who were killed during the ongoing war with Russia. His appeal was denied despite the helmet's significance, which features portraits of over 20 athletes, some of whom were his friends. The action against Heraskevych highlights the intersection of sports and political crisis, raising questions about the boundaries of expression in competitive athletics.
Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych's disqualification from the Winter Olympics over his helmet depicting fellow athletes killed since Russia's full-scale invasion is the Games' biggest controversy so far.
Heraskevych was barred from the men's skeleton in Milan-Cortina earlier this week after he refused to stop wearing it and on Friday his appeal was denied.
He has said those featured on his helmet include teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko and ice hockey player Oleksiy Lohinov, adding that some of them were his friends. More than 20 athletes appear on the helmet in total - here's more on each of them.
Androschuk died a few days after his 22nd birthday in January 2023 while fighting in the Bakhmut area of eastern Ukraine. He represented his country at the international level, competing in decathlon and pentathlon events.
