Ukrainian Vladislav Heraskevych, who was disqualified from the skeleton competition at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics for wearing a banned helmet, received a gift of more than $200.000 today to help him continue competing and representing his country.
Ukrainian businessman and owner of the Shakhtar Donetsk football club Rinat Akhmetov gave money to Heraskevich from his humanitarian foundation. The amount of just over $200.000 is equal to the prize money that Ukrainian athletes would receive for winning an Olympic gold medal.
"Vlad Heraskevich was denied the opportunity to compete for victory at the Games, but he returns to Ukraine as a true winner. The respect and pride that he has earned among Ukrainians through his actions are the greatest reward. At the same time, I wish him enough energy and resources to continue his sports career, as well as the fight for truth, freedom and the memory of those who gave their lives for Ukraine," Akhmetov said in a statement.
Heraskevych was disqualified from the Games last week for refusing a request from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to compete wearing a personalized helmet depicting the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed during the war with Russia, which began a few days after the end of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The money will be paid into Heraskevych's charitable foundation "to ensure that the 27-year-old athlete and his coaches have the necessary resources to continue their sports careers and represent Ukraine on the international stage," the statement said.
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