Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Winter Olympics on Thursday after refusing to back down over his banned helmet, which depicts victims of his country¡¯s war with Russia.

The International Olympic Committee said he had been kicked out of the Milano Cortina Games ¡°after refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines.¡±

Heraskevych, 27, had insisted he would continue to wear the helmet, which carries pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, during the men¡¯s skeleton heats on Thursday.