sports

Shakhtar Donates $200K to Banned Ukrainian Skeleton Racer

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych received $200,000 from Shakhtar Donetsk owner after being banned from the Winter Olympics for wearing a helmet commemorating war victims.

The 27-year-old athlete was disqualified before competing at Milano Cortina when the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation ruled that imagery on his helmet—depicting Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia's 2022 invasion—violated Games expression rules.

The donation from Shakhtar Donetsk equals the prize money Ukraine pays to gold medalists, according to the club. Heraskevych's 'helmet of memory' became a symbol of Ukrainian resilience amid the conflict.