Ukraine athlete Heraskevych: 'My Olympic moment was stolen'

"I have repeated this from Day 1; I don't think it violates any rules. In accordance with Rule 50 we don't have any political propaganda, we don't have any racial propaganda, and we don't have any harassment towards anyone on this helmet. So I believe this helmet didn't (break) any rules," he said."

""The last days were good training (sessions) for me, I was fast, I was among the best athletes, and I could have been a medalist tomorrow," Heraskevych said."

""But we will never know, because my Olympic moment was stolen.""

Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics after refusing to wear a different helmet that honors athletes killed in the war with Russia. IOC President Kirsty Coventry met Heraskevych at the top of the sliding track around 8:15 a.m., roughly 75 minutes before the men's skeleton race, and asked him to change the helmet. Heraskevych said the helmet did not violate Olympic Charter Rule 50, arguing it included no political, racial or harassing propaganda. He told German public broadcaster ZDF the decision was unjust, said recent training had been strong and that he believed he could have been a medalist, and said his Olympic moment was stolen. He said he had a right to represent the athletes who died.

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