Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 23, 2026
1 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleChancellor Friedrich Merz praised a Ukrainian Olympian’s memorial helmet as a symbol of courage. Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified on Feb 12 for breaching neutrality rules; CAS rejected his appeal on Feb 13.
BERLIN, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Germany's chancellor on Monday weighed in on the disqualification of a Ukrainian athlete from the Milano Cortina Olympics, saying the helmet that prompted his dismissal was a symbol of the nation's bravery.
"This helmet is a symbol of the Ukrainian people's resistance and its unwavering courage. It is also a symbol of the suffering caused by Russia's barbaric war of aggression," Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a speech in Berlin.
Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was removed from the Olympic programme on February 12, when the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation jury ruled that the depiction of athletes killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 breached rules on political neutrality.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport later dismissed Heraskevych's appeal. Merz did not specifically comment on the disqualification.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger and Andreas Rinke, editing by Linda Pasquini)
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz described a disqualified Ukrainian Olympian’s memorial helmet as a symbol of courage, amid Olympic neutrality rules and a failed appeal.
Vladyslav Heraskevych was removed on Feb 12, 2026, after officials ruled his helmet—depicting athletes killed since 2022—breached IOC neutrality guidelines and IBSF rules.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed Heraskevych’s appeal on Feb 13, 2026, affirming limits on expressions on the field of play during competition.
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