A Ukrainian skeleton athlete disqualified for attempting to wear a ‘memorial helmet’ at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics received a donation equivalent to a gold medal prize from the owner of Shakhtar Donetsk.
Vladyslav Heraskevych, a skeleton athlete from Ukraine, faced disqualification at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina for planning to wear a ‘memorial helmet’ commemorating 24 Ukrainian athletes who lost their lives due to the ongoing war triggered by Russian invasion. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled that wearing the helmet violated their charter prohibiting political statements. Despite being offered alternatives such as wearing a black armband or displaying the helmet before or after events, Heraskevych insisted on wearing the helmet, which ultimately led to his disqualification on the eve of the competition.
In light of this injustice, Rinat Akhmetov, a Ukrainian businessman and owner of FC Shakhtar Donetsk, announced a donation of $200,000 to Heraskevych through his charity foundation. This sum is equivalent to the prize money awarded to Olympic gold medalists by the Ukrainian government. Akhmetov remarked that while Heraskevych was denied the chance to compete for an Olympic victory, he returned as a 'true winner' in the eyes of the Ukrainian people, highlighting the athlete’s courage and the memory of those who died in the conflict.
FC Shakhtar Donetsk, the winning team of the Ukrainian Premier League, has its roots in Donetsk, a region heavily affected by the conflict and currently occupied by Russian forces. The club has been unable to return to its home ground, symbolizing the larger impact of the war on Ukrainian sports and athletes. Heraskevych’s disqualification and the subsequent support he received illustrate the struggles faced by athletes from Ukraine during these turbulent times, emphasizing the importance of honoring their sacrifices while competing on an international stage.
