11-year-old gymnastics Shin Seong dies as 14-year-old weightlifting prospect... Ukraine War Memorial Helmets → Ban On Olympics, Appeal Rejected After Controversy [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

The appeal of the memorial helmet of Vladislav Heraskevich (27), a member of the Ukrainian skeleton national team, which has emerged as the most controversial issue at the 2026 Milan/Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, was finally rejected.

The British media 'BBC' reported on the 14th (Korea Standard Time) that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) finally rejected the appeal of Heraskevich's decision to disqualify him from the Olympics. CAS fully sympathized with Heraskevich's intention to commemorate, but decided that the International Olympic Committee's 'Player Expression Guidelines' that prohibit any political, religious, or racial propaganda in the stadium should be observed.

As a result, Heraskevich, who was likely to enter the medal table, finished the tournament without having played a single official race on his last Olympic stage.

The beginning of the incident began when Heraskevich wore a so-called "memorial helmet" with the faces of more than 20 fellow athletes who died after Russia's invasion. The helmet featured 14-year-old weightlifting prospect Alina Perehudova, boxer Pablo Ishchenko and ice hockey player Oleksiy Rohinov, among others who lost their lives in the war.

The IOC ordered the helmet to be banned, defining it as a political expression that violates the Olympic Charter. Last Thursday, just 45 minutes before the start of the race, Kirsty Coventry, chairman of the IOC Athletes Commission, personally visited Heraskevich to persuade him to replace his helmet, but Heraskevich did not give up. In the end, Heraskevich was disqualified and immediately filed an emergency appeal with CAS, but the decision was dismissed within a day.

"This helmet is a pure tribute to remember my friends and colleagues," Heraskevich said, adding, "Thanks to their sacrifice, we were able to stand here today, but we could not betray them." On the other hand, the IOC said, "The stadium should be focused only on the athletes' performance. If this is allowed, the stadium could turn into a venue for expression, causing confusion," he said.

The stories of the victims in Heraskevich's helmet were harrowing. Numerous young talents disappeared in the war, including decathlete Volodymyr Androschuk, who was killed in the Battle of Bakhmut shortly after his 22nd birthday, 17-year-old kickboxing champion Karina Bahur, who was killed in Russian shelling, and 11-year-old rhythmic gymnastics prospect Karina Diachenko, who lost her life in an airstrike while staying at home with her family.

Shortly after CAS's ruling, Heraskevich said, "I wanted the truth to win, but as a result, the train left," adding, "But I have no regrets about my actions. This decision is only used for Russian propaganda," he criticized.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has supported Heraskevich's move, saying, "Remembrance is not a violation." In addition, Heraskevich was awarded the second highest medal in Ukraine, the Order of Freedom and Protection.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.