Overview
- Officials removed the skeleton athlete from competition minutes before his event after a face‑to‑face meeting with IOC President Kirsty Coventry.
- The IOC said it had offered a compromise allowing a plain black armband in competition and display of the helmet off the field of play, which Heraskevych rejected.
- The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation’s jury determined the helmet violated equipment regulations, and the IOC withdrew his Games accreditation.
- The gray helmet bears images of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and sports figures killed since Russia’s 2022 invasion, according to Ukraine’s Olympic committee.
- Heraskevych said he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, while Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, publicly criticized the decision.