Winter Olympics 2026: Ukrainian athlete disqualified from skeleton over helmet tribute – live

Utter cowardice

But this is ok? 

– **Petr Gumennik (figure skating)** is connected to Ilya Averbukh, a coach sanctioned by Ukraine for his role in pro-war events and performances in occupied Ukrainian territories. Gumennik has also performed in a Russian military uniform and worked with Averbukh on recent projects
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– **Savelii Korostelev (cross-country skiing)** has liked pro-Putin and pro-military content on social media and was described as an “army skier” by his club, CSKA, which is affiliated with the Russian armed forces
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– **Kseniia Korzhova (speed skating)** liked pro-war content from Nikita Nagorny, a sanctioned gymnast and former head of the Russian youth military organization Yunarmia, who is accused of involvement in the deportation of Ukrainian children
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– **Dariya Nepryaeva (cross-country skiing)** attended a training camp in Crimea, which is illegally occupied by Russia, and was featured in a state-backed TV report about the camp
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-**Adeliia Petrosian (figure skating)** held a masterclass at a Moscow festival that raises funds for the Russian military

IOC taking the side of a terrorist state. The Olympic spirit is dead and buried.

Fuck the IOC

Surely the IOC (and whoever lobbied for this decision behind the scenes) knew this would only increase the attention on the controversy instead of suppresing tthe message, so what was the real point of grasping so hard at straws to justify this ban? Just to show whose side they are on?

I give up, man. It’s so much awful everywhere that I’m going numb.

IOC: We will ban Russia for invading Ukrainian

IOC: We will ban Ukrainians for reminding people that Russia is still invading Ukraine

Not sure how they classified that as political. There aren’t even any slogans or words on it? Looks like just pictures of people who were killed.

The IOC is morally bankrupt. But so is basically any sports federation sadly

Years before the Ukraine invasion, the IOC chose Sochi as the 2014 Winter Olympics host because Russians paid well. It was well known that Russia under Putin was already using international sport as geopolitical soft power, and there were serious concerns (human rights, cost, environmental issues) that didn’t stop the IOC from green-lighting the bid. Bribery and political weight swayed the decision. So IOC is really flexible in their ‘neutrality’ policing

“ukrainians please die in silence, do not remind us that you get killed daily, it makes us uncomfortable, and please die faster so we can be friends with russians again” – IOC, and fanboys of “rules”here, probably.

It is NOT POLITICAL TO REMEMBER THE DEAD.

Athletes whom were killed by the US Army were remembered without any protest… The difference, it was a plane crash, but still dead because of Military “inaction” activities, so the argument that Ukrainians aren’t allowed to remember theirs due to the nature of the death, is bullshit.

This is outrageous! It’s a f..ing tribute!!!

Thanks IOC for once again making clear that you support warmongering countries that commit genocide. I wish the same happy genocide happens to you and your family.

Remember: you can’t remember them in any way.

This is the rule:

*Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter. “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”*

So, why are Russian and Belarus banned from Olympics? Because of political propaganda or because of invasion in Ukraine?

I thought it is second one and it would mean that mourning and remembering people killed by this invasion can’t be considered “political propaganda”. But if that is “political propaganda” then IOC just admits that ban of these aggressor countries are political.

In any way – terrible look for IOC.