Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych was barred from competing in the Milan/Cortina Olympics over a dispute concerning a helmet he wanted to wear in the skeleton event to honour athletes killed in the war with Russia.

Ukraine has voiced outrage over a decision from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to bar their skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing at the Milan/Cortina Games over a helmet dispute.

As Ukrainian athletes prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics, they will seek to boost the morale of their compatriots in Ukraine amid an ongoing war and a brutal winter.

The first week in Milan-Cortina was supposed to be about clean edges, fast tracks, and perfect landings, but the story of these Winter Games is already far messier. From the sliding track in Cortina to the jump hills of Predazzo and the cauldron at San Siro,

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, a likely medal contender at the Milan Cortina Games, was barred from racing Thursday after refusing a last-minute plea from the International Olympic Committee to not use a helmet that honors more than 20 athletes and coaches killed since Russia invaded his country four years ago.

A Ukrainian athlete has been disqualified from the Winter Olympics over his insistence on wearing a helmet honoring people killed in his country's war with Russia