CONSOLATION PRIZE

Olympian Banned Over Anti-Putin Protest Gets $200K Boost

Vladislav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Olympics over a helmet honoring athletes killed in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.

A skeleton racer who was disqualified from the Milano Cortina Olympic Games for wearing a helmet showing victims of the war in Ukraine has received a gift of $200,000 to encourage him to keep racing and advocating for his country. Vladyslav Heraskevych, 27, was barred from competition last week after he wore a helmet decorated with images of more than 20 athletes and coaches killed during the country’s war with Russia. Now, the foundation of Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov, who owns a soccer club and a steel works, has given Heraskevych the equivalent of what an Olympic gold athlete from Ukraine would receive. The gift was intended to give Heraskevych the “energy and resources” to continue his sporting career, and to fight for “truth, freedom, and the remembrance of those who gave their lives for Ukraine,” Akhmetov said in a statement. Heraskevych had unsuccessfully challenged his disqualification, leading Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to criticize the International Olympic Committee. The Olympic charter prohibits political demonstrations, but Heraskevych said he would not “betray” his fellow athletes by removing the tribute from his helmet.