Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych is out of the Milan Cortina Games after refusing a last-minute plea from the International Olympic Committee to use a helmet other than the one that honors athletes killed in Russia’s war on his country.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry was waiting for Heraskevych at the top of the track when he arrived around 8:15 a.m. Thursday, about 75 minutes before the start of the men’s skeleton race.
They went into a private area and spoke briefly, and Coventry was unable to change Heraskevych’s mind. The Ukrainian athlete briefly addressed reporters and said he would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“It’s hard to say or put into words. It’s emptiness,” he said.
“This is price of our dignity,” he added in a social media post.
