Ukrainian skeleton racer receives his country’s Order of Freedom

The Ukrainian skeleton Olympian cut from competition at the Milan Cortina Games because of his helmet remembering fellow athletes killed in the war with Russia has received a medal of a different kind.

The Ukrainian Order of Freedom, awarded to him by the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The International Olympic Committee told Vladylsav Heraskevych that his “helmet of remembrance” violated its rules prohibiting political statements.

The presentation to Vladyslav Heraskevych was made in Munich on Thursday, where world leaders are gathered for a security conference.

“Ukraine will always have champions and Olympians,” Zelenskyy said on social media. “But above all, Ukraine’s greatest asset is Ukrainians — those who cherish the truth and the memory of the athletes killed by Russia, athletes who will never compete again because of the Russian aggression.”

Heraskevych, a likely Olympic medal contender, was not allowed to take part Thursday after refusing to use a different helmet. His customized helmet shows the faces of more than 20 of the athletes and coaches killed in the war, which started soon after the 2022 Beijing Games ended.

The Kyiv Post reported that the Order of Freedom was granted “for selfless service to the Ukrainian people, civic courage, and patriotism in defending the ideals of freedom and democratic values.”

Heraskevych said in a Reuters video of his meeting with Zelenskyy that he wanted to share the Olympics with his fellow athletes because their sacrifice had allowed the Ukrainian team to compete.

“And I truly believe that we are able to be at the Olympics these days and don’t have a war in Europe also because of their sacrifice,” Heraskevych said in the video.

Vladyslav Heraskevych confirmed that he planned to compete with his banned helmet commemorating athletes killed in the war with Russia.

The International Olympic Committee cited a rule against making political statements on the Olympic field of play for Heraskevych’s disqualification. He wore the helmet for training Tuesday and Wednesday.

He contended that the helmet did not violate any rules and called the IOC’s decision discriminatory. Of the attention it drew to the war in Ukraine and the athletes’ and coaches’ deaths, he said, “I believe this goal is much more important than any medal.”

The IOC said it had made its decision “with regret.”

“The essence of this case is not about the message, it is about where he wanted to express it,” it said in statement.

Sports highest court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, ruled against Heraskevych in an appeal though it said the arbitrator was”fully sympathetic to Mr. Heraskevych’s commemoration and to his attempt to raise awareness for the grief and devastation suffered by the Ukrainian people, and Ukrainian athletes because of the war.”

IOC president Kristy Coventry got emotional when speaking about having to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladylsav Heraskevych over his helmet remembering athletes who have died in Ukraine’s war with Russia.