Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladylsav Heraskevych has said that being banned from the Winter Olympic Games is "the price of dignity", after the IOC removed him for the Games after his refusal to remove a helmet displaying 24 photos of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war with Russia. Initially, IOC withdrew his accreditation, but was later allowed to remain at the Games, but not compete.
IOC sent a statement this morning, following a meeting between IOC's president Kirsty Coventry and the 27-year-old, who was also the Ukrainian flag bearer, in which IOC's urged Heraskevych to reconsider his position, but "he did not consider any form of compromise".
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Before IOC's statement, Heraskevych sent a post on X asking IOC to lift the ban, apologise to him for the pressure he has been put on over the last few days, and "s a sign of solidarity with Ukrainian sport, provide electric generators for Ukrainian sports facilities that are suffering from daily shellings".
When IOC announced their decision, he simply tweeted a photo of the helmet he used during training, saying "this is the price of dignity".
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Speaking later to BBC, Heraskevych said that he felt "emptiness" and defended that under his interpretation of the rule, his helmet should have been allowed.
"'Expression guidelines', I believe it's a very big term. What do you consider as 'expression'? Many athletes here have helmets with different paints and I believe it's also a kind of expression.
"Some athletes have national symbols, it's also an expression but for some reason their helmets were not checked. They are allowed to compete, but I am not."
As an example the Ukrainian said that American figure skater Maxim Naumov was allowed to carry a photo of his parents, who died in a plane crash last year.