Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Geraskevych was disqualified from the 2026 Winter Olympics because of a helmet depicting athletes killed in the war in Ukraine. The reaction of the National Olympic Committees of different countries was divided.
This is reported by Suspilne.
The German Olympic Committee emphasized the importance of the participation of Ukrainian athletes in competitions
“This is a powerful symbol that Ukrainian athletes can participate in these Games. Four years after Russia's invasion of their homeland, this is also an important sign of the resilience of the Ukrainian people,” the German NOC noted.
The committee added that drawing attention to the consequences of the war is possible “within formats such as press conferences and statements to the media,” but noted that during the competitions themselves, “political messages and those that could be interpreted as such are rightly prohibited.”
The Swiss Committee , in turn, noted that it understands the athlete's intention, but supports the IOC's position on the neutrality of Olympic venues.
“The International Olympic Committee considers certain areas — the playing field, the podium and the Olympic Village — to be neutral spaces and is convinced that the competitions should be free from political and religious motives. Swiss Olympic supports the IOC's position given the need to preserve the unity of the Olympic movement,” the Swiss noted.
The Latvian and Lithuanian Olympic Committees have asked the IBSF for clarification regarding the disqualification.
“We consider it important to carefully assess the justification and proportionality of this decision,” the Latvian committee said.
According to the committee, the helmet in question did not contain any political messages, slogans, or calls to action — it featured images honoring Ukrainian athletes who died in the war.
The Latvians stressed that “the athlete's intention was to pay tribute in a humane and compassionate manner, not to engage in political campaigning.”
The committee also requested further clarification from the IBSF, “emphasizing the importance of respecting the sincere intention of athletes to honor their fellow athletes and uphold the values of solidarity and human dignity.”