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Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych speaks to media representatives in a hotel in Milan. Peter Kneffel/dpa
Skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych late on Monday said he had returned to Ukraine after being excluded from the Olympic competitions.
In a video posted on X, the 27-year-old appeared to record himself in darkness in central Kiev. He said he was standing near St Sophia's Cathedral, which could not be seen behind him because of Russian attacks.
Heraskevych criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC), saying more and more Russian athletes were returning to international arenas, "while Ukrainians continue to live through a humanitarian catastrophe caused by Russian shelling."
"When the IOC plays along with Russian propaganda, it effectively becomes complicit in these crimes," he wrote.
Heraskevych was disqualified shortly before the start of the skeleton events at the Winter Olympics in Italy after refusing to remove a helmet that had been banned by the IOC. The helmet featured images of more than 20 athletes who have died since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In an expedited procedure, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the decision by the sport's governing body, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF).
According to the guidelines of the Olympic Charter, athletes are prohibited from making political statements during an ongoing competition. Heraskevych argues that the gesture is a commemoration rather than a political statement, something he says other athletes have been allowed to do.
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