Geraskevych called on Kirsty Coventry to resign after the scandal at the 2026 Olympics
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was scandalously disqualified during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, called on International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry to resign. The athlete is convinced that the IOC leadership failed to cope with the challenges of the Games and damaged the reputation of the Olympic movement.
“I believe that Ms. Coventry should leave this position, because she absolutely ruined the Olympic Games. Because with the scandal that the IOC created, they took a lot of attention away from the athletes who participated in the competitions, this scandal greatly affected the value of the Olympic movement. And Miss Coventry is to blame for this, and not only her, because the whole chain of people was involved. Coventry’s speech at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games should be her last in this position,” Geraskevych said.
Separately, the athlete explained why he used the phrase “the wrong side of history.”
“I did not choose this phrase by chance. It was Thomas Bach who used it when he justified the return of Russian athletes. He said, “we will see who was on the right side of history.” And we see that the IOC is not on the right side of history now, and the Olympic Games have been actively used in Russian propaganda, which contributes to the killing of people – we see this from the Russian flags in the stands. This is the opposite of what Olympic values protect.”.
Recall that during training races, Geraskevych performed in the so-called “memory helmet” with images of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia. The IOC banned the use of this item of equipment, and before the official start, it decided to disqualify the Ukrainian.
The athlete appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The case was considered under an expedited procedure, but the CAS left the disqualification in force. The Ukrainian national team finished the 2026 Winter Olympics without awards.
