Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy) (AFP) - Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Winter Olympics on Thursday after refusing to back down over his banned helmet, which depicts victims of his country’s war with Russia.

The International Olympic Committee said he had been kicked out of the Milan-Cortina Games “after refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines”.

Heraskevych, 27, had insisted he would continue to wear the helmet, which carries pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, during the men’s skeleton heats on Thursday.

After the decision, a defiant Heraskevych posted on X “this is price of our dignity”, alongside a picture of his headwear.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky had defended the athlete’s right to wear the helmet but he knew he was taking a risk as as gestures of a political nature during competition are forbidden under the Olympic charter.

The IOC said in statement on Thursday that the skeleton racer’s accreditation for the Games had been withdrawn.

“Having been given one final opportunity, skeleton pilot Vladylsav Heraskevych from Ukraine will not be able to start his race at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this morning,” the IOC statement said.

“The decision followed his refusal to comply with the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression. It was taken by the jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) based on the fact that the helmet he intended to wear was not compliant with the rules.”

Athletes are permitted to express their views in press conferences and on social media, and on Tuesday the IOC said it would “make an exception” for Heraskevych, allowing him to wear a plain black armband during competition.

“Mr Heraskevych was able to display his helmet in all training runs,” the IOC said.

“The IOC also offered him the option of displaying it immediately after the competition when going through the mixed zone.”

- Dismay -

Olympic chiefs said that IOC president Kirsty Coventry had spoken with Heraskevych on Thursday morning in a vain bid to make him change his mind.

Ukrainian fans outside the Cortina Sliding Centre expressed dismayed over the decision.

Natalia Kharchuk, From Lviv, told AFP that she considered it “discrimination”.

“It’s more about politics, and I think this is not correct. He represents, first of all, our country, and he’s a great sportsman,” she said.

Irina Nalivayko, from Kyiv, said that she was “very disappointed”.

“These people that he showed in his helmet, they’re real people that died because of the Russian invasion,” she said.

“It’s a 100 percent a fact and I’m very disappointed that by making this decision it’s as if we’re trying to erase a reality.

“The war is still going, we’re still freezing, we still have no electricity. People are still dying and this is not good. It’s unacceptable.”

Heraskevych displayed a banner that read “No War in Ukraine” at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, just days before Russia launching its invasion of its neighbour.

The conflict has resulted in a massive wave of destruction that has left entire cities in ruins and killed tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, while forcing millions to flee their homes.