Ukrainian athlete Geraskevich awarded the Order of Freedom

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded skeleton racer Vladyslav Geraskevych the Order of Freedom. During the 2026 Olympics, he competed in a helmet with portraits of Ukrainian athletes who died in the war.

The corresponding decree No. 119/2026 was published on the website of the President's Office.

The document states that the athlete received a high state award for his dedication to the Ukrainian people, civic courage and patriotism in the defense of freedom and democratic values.

Vladyslav Geraskevych is a member of the Ukrainian national Olympic skeleton team.

On the eve of the award ceremony, Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the athlete for his clear position and emphasized that the sports movement should support peace, not help the aggressor.

His helmet with portraits of fallen Ukrainian athletes is about honor and memory. It is a reminder to the whole world what Russian aggression is and what the price of the fight for independence is. And there is no violation of any rule in this," Zelensky said.

At the 2026 Olympics, a Ukrainian skeleton athlete competed in a specially prepared helmet that depicted Ukrainian athletes who died as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion. The portraits include representatives of the Ukrainian sports community whose lives were cut short by the war.

The International Olympic Committee viewed this move as a violation of the rules on political propaganda during the games. Geraskevich pointed to the selectivity of the committee's decisions, noting that the Italian snowboarder wore a helmet with the image of the Russian flag in spite of the current restrictions, but this fact remained without sanctions from the IOC.

As a result, the IOC suspended the Ukrainian skeleton racer from participating in the 2026 Olympics for using a "memory helmet" that contradicts the rules of athletes' self-expression. The Committee emphasized that its position is not directed against the perpetuation of the memory of the fallen Ukrainian athletes, but only concerns where and how it can be done during the competition.

Анна Бальчінос