Zelenskyy awarded skeleton racer Heraskevych the Order of Liberty for civic courage
Kyiv • UNN
The President's decree states that Heraskevych was honored with the award "for selfless service to the Ukrainian people, civic courage and patriotism in upholding the ideals of freedom and democratic values."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the Order of Liberty to skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, whom the IOC prevented from competing in the Olympics due to his "helmet of memory," UNN reports.
To award the Order of Liberty to Vladyslav Mykhailovych Heraskevych — a member of the national Olympic team of Ukraine, skeleton racer
The document states that Heraskevych was awarded "for selfless service to the Ukrainian people, civic courage, and patriotism in upholding the ideals of freedom and democratic values."
Earlier
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the IOC's decision to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych morally appalling.
Addition
The IOC disqualified Vladyslav Heraskevych before the first run of the 2026 Olympics in skeleton. He was supposed to start in a "helmet of memory" — as a sign of respect for fallen Ukrainian athletes and all our Heroes.
Heraskevych told journalists that he would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).