The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics faced its biggest controversy when Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from competing in the men's skeleton event. The Ukrainian athlete, who served as his country's flagbearer at the opening ceremony, was disqualified for attempting to wear a helmet featuring artwork depicting Ukrainian athletes killed during the Russian invasion.

The International Olympic Committee ruled that Heraskevych's helmet violated Olympic Charter rule 40.2, which mandates that sport at the Games must remain neutral and separate from political or religious interference. While Heraskevych had worn the helmet during all training runs and media appearances, IOC regulations prohibit such expressions during official competition. The IOC stated that 4,500 athletes were consulted when establishing these guidelines in 2023.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry personally appealed to Heraskevych to find a compromise, but the athlete refused to compete without his memorial helmet. The decision drew widespread condemnation from Olympic athletes, including Team GB's two-time skeleton gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold, who called the ruling "shocking" and said the IOC "owe him an apology." Heraskevych plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, while his Ukrainian teammates showed solidarity by displaying messages of remembrance throughout the competition.