The Controversial 'Helmet of Remembrance' Ban: Honoring Fallen Ukrainian Athletes

Sun Feb 15 2026 01:09:58 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Vladyslav Heraskevych, a Ukrainian skeleton athlete, faces disqualification from the Winter Olympics for wearing a helmet memorializing more than 20 athletes killed in the war against Russia. This article explores the implications of the ban and highlights the lives lost through powerful storytelling.

Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified from the Winter Olympics for refusing to remove a helmet that honors over 20 Ukrainian athletes killed since the war began. This controversy has sparked widespread discussion regarding the role of sports and memorialization in a time of conflict. Heraskevych's helmet features visuals of athletes like Alina Perehudova and Pavlo Ishchenko, spotlighting the human cost of the ongoing war. This article details the lives lost and the impact on the Ukrainian sports community.

Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych's disqualification from the Winter Olympics over his helmet depicting fellow athletes killed since Russia's full-scale invasion is the Games' biggest controversy so far.

Heraskevych was barred from the men's skeleton in Milan-Cortina earlier this week after he refused to stop wearing it and on Friday, his appeal was denied.

He has said those featured on his helmet include teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko and ice hockey player Oleksiy Lohinov, adding that some of them were his friends.

More than 20 athletes appear on the helmet in total. Each represents the human cost of a brutal conflict that has claimed lives and disrupted countless futures.

The helmet was meant as a gesture of remembrance, symbolizing the profound loss felt within the Ukrainian sports community.

This controversy has sparked a larger conversation about remembrance in sports and the importance of honoring lives lost in the fight against adversity.