A disastrous season for the Washington Wizards just got worse. With the team sitting at 14-39, one of its most promising youngsters is set to miss time with an injury.
Center Alex Sarr will be sidelined approximately two weeks due to a hamstring strain, the team announced.
Advertisement
It’s unclear when the 20-year-old Sarr first sustained the injury. He first popped up on the team’s injury report Wednesday, and eventually was ruled out for the contest with a hamstring issue. Prior to that, Sarr missed two other games in February, though with calf and ankle injuries.
Sarr took part in three games in between those injuries, and did not see his playing time decrease much in those contests.
After being selected by the Wizards with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Sarr has shown plenty of potential. He turned in a solid rookie year, leading to a sixth-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting.
In his second season, Sarr has taken a step forward. The center is averaging 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Despite that, the Wizards haven’t won many games, and have one of the worst records in the NBA.
Advertisement
If there’s a reason for optimism about Sarr’s injury, it’s that he shouldn’t miss too many games for the Wizards. With All-Star Weekend on the horizon, the Wizards’ next game will take place Feb. 19. If he were to return in exactly two weeks, he would miss only four regular-season games. That’s an aggressive timeline, though possible based on Shams Charania’s report.
Sarr will, however, miss the Rising Stars event Friday. He was supposed to play on team T-Mac in the event. Despite missing the festivities, Sarr plans to attend All-Star weekend. The NBA announced Wizards guard Bub Carrington as Sarr’s replacement in the Rising Stars tournament.
MILAN — Fifty-eight years ago, during their medal ceremony for the 200-meter race at the Mexico City Olympics, Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in a silent protest, an expression of Black Power support. Incensed, IOC president Avery Brundage kicked the American track medalists out of the Olympic Games and threatened to expel the entire United States delegation.
Fifty-eight hours ago, give or take, Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych displayed a helmet bearing the images of more than a dozen athletes and coaches who have died in Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia. IOC president Kirsty Coventry met with Heraskevych, sympathizing with his message and pleading for him not to wear the helmet during the moments of his actual competition.
Advertisement
By the IOC’s rules, Heraskevych could wear the helmet during practice, he could display it during press conferences, he could even — hypothetically — show it during a medal ceremony. He just couldn’t wear the helmet during competition. When Heraskevych refused to concede that condition, the IOC removed him from his lone event.
Two protests. Two demonstrations of belief in something bigger than the Olympics. Two removals from the Olympics, yes, but under very different circumstances — one with vengeful anger, one with regret. The International Olympic Committee, one of the world’s most tradition-bound organizations, is changing — glacially, but changing nonetheless — with the times.
Freedom of expression, in every sense, is coming one day for the Olympics. So why not now? Why not today?
Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych, with his helmet, which features pictures of people killed in the war with Russia. (Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)
(Andrew Milligan – PA Images via Getty Images)
In 1968, the International Olympic Committee spokesman called Smith and Carlos’ silent protest “a deliberate and violent breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit.” Brundage demanded that Smith and Carlos be removed from the Olympic Village. When the United States Olympic Committee, as it was then known, pushed back against Brundage, he threatened to boot the entire United States delegation — every single American athlete — from the 1968 Olympics.
Advertisement
At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the IOC would not allow American men’s hockey goalie Ryan Miller to wear a mask with a tribute to his late cousin who had died of leukemia. Fellow goalie Jonathan Quick also couldn’t wear a mask with a “support our troops” slogan. In NHL games, goalies are allowed some degree of expression with their masks as long they are approved by the league — but the decision-making is more arbitrary than the IOC’s regulations.
On Thursday morning, IOC spokesman Mark Allen told assembled media that “we dearly wanted [Heraskevych] to compete. It would have sent a powerful message. We were happy to provide him with a number of occasions to express his grief.” What a difference six decades makes — by the IOC’s current standards, Smith and Carlos’ protest would have been perfectly acceptable.
Coventry noted the IOC did not have a problem with Heraskevych speaking his mind … outside the boundaries of the games themselves. “It’s not about the messaging,” she said Thursday, “it’s literally about the rules and the regulations. In this case, the field of play, we have to be able to keep a safe environment for everyone, and sadly that means no messaging is allowed.”
Thing is, with Russia, the IOC has already done some indisputable messaging of its own. Russia, as a collective nation, has been banned from the Olympics since 2022 because of its invasion of Ukraine. Not to get too simplistic here, but banning an entire nation from the Olympic Games is a political message written in the skies, not just on a helmet.
Advertisement
The key question, of course, is this: Once you open this door to in-competition messaging, where do you stop? It’s not difficult to imagine how one athlete’s noble protest of a crushing war becomes another athlete’s partisan protest of a political candidate, and before long you have athletes protesting for a whole range of less-than-genocide-level causes.
The IOC doesn’t often inspire sympathy, but you can at least see the immensity of the problem they’re facing here. Does the IOC restrict protests to certain areas of the body, or certain sizes, like brand logos? How would the IOC determine what causes are “protest-worthy”? If protest is permitted on a helmet, why not a full uniform? And what about the rights of athletes from other countries who might be on the other side of the issue under protest? Shouldn’t they get a say in this, too?
Allen, the IOC spokesman, noted the Olympics already offers athletes a method of expressing grief, which is a black armband. But given the fact that, by the IOC’s estimation, there are 130 conflicts ongoing in the world at this moment, where does one draw the line? “If everyone is allowed to express themselves in that way beyond a black armband,” Allen said, “it will create a field of play which becomes a field of expression. And even where one may or may not agree with the sentiments, you can see where that would lead to a chaotic situation.”
It’s easy to dismiss this entire controversy with a wave of the hand: This is the Olympics! Can’t they put their protests aside for two minutes? But for many athletes, consumed by challenges and fears and trauma most Americans can’t imagine, the protest is the point. The remembrance of those lost, the desire to hold the guilty to account, the dream of a better life … for them, those goals are their true calling, and the Olympics are just their vehicle for making the world hear their cries.
Advertisement
If there’s a bright side to Heraskevych’s Olympic expulsion, it’s this: His protest now reaches much farther than it ever would have if he’d simply been permitted to compete without incident. It’s a classic case of the Streisand Effect, where the IOC’s attempt to shut down and smother a protest has the effect of magnifying it. His voice and his cause reach much further now than they would have in any other circumstance, even winning a medal.
The time will come, soon, when athletes will be able to make the statements they wish to make, when they wish to make them. But that time won’t be soon enough for Vladyslav Heraskevych and his Olympic dreams.
With the fresh fantasy baseball season approaching, it’s time to get you some tiered rankings from my Shuffle Up series. Use these for salary cap drafts, straight drafts, keeper decisions or merely a view of how the position ebbs and flows. Tuesday, we opened with the catcher position. Today’s assignment is second base.
The numbers are unscientific in nature and meant to reflect where talent clusters and drops off. Assume a 5×5 scoring system, as usual.
Additional positions will follow regularly for the next two weeks. I have removed all catcher-eligible players from the first base shuffle, since those players will be used at catcher for 99% of fantasy teams.
More Tiered Rankings
The Big Tickets
$32 Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees
$30 Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
$22 Maikel Garcia, Royals
$22 Brice Turang, Brewers
The re-signing of Cody Bellinger means the Yankees will have a lefty-heavy lineup again, and MLB managers tend to separate lefty swingers to avoid platoon disadvantages. Thus, Chisholm could be batting as low as sixth on Opening Day. But 30-30 commodities don’t fall from trees, and Chisholm still might have a career year percolating as he steps into his age-28 season. He’s worth second-round consideration and a snap-call pick in the third.
Advertisement
Turang will probably be one of my preseason targets, a versatile player who doesn’t have one jaw-dropping skill. Bill James told us moons ago that versatile players tend to be underrated and specialists tend to be overrated; these rules also correlate to fantasy baseball. The Brewers have turned into what the Rays once were, the smaller-market team that gets more value for its dollar. Turang is an eat-your-veggies type of pick.
Altuve’s 26 homers last year obscured some leakage elsewhere — he lost 30 points in his batting average and his steals dropped from 22 to 10. And his bat speed has been well under league average ever since Baseball Savant started tracking it. Altuve is a guess hitter at this point in his career, and he’s readying for his age-36 season. I’d rather be a year early than a year late with a player holding this career arc.
Legitimate Building Blocks
$16 Luke Keaschall, Twins
$15 Jordan Westburg, Orioles
$15 Xavier Edwards, Marlins
$13 Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox
$13 Brandon Lowe, Pirates
$12 Brendan Donovan, Mariners
Advertisement
It was curious to see Polanco hit a career year at age 31, and in Seattle, no less. Most of his Baseball Savant sliders are supportive, decent plate discipline and good contact numbers. He might open the year as the cleanup man for the Mets. I’m interested.
Westburg has already proven he belongs in the majors; his 162-game averages include 88 runs, 24 homers and 79 RBI per season. It’s unrealistic to expect anyone to play every game and Westburg missed half of last year with injuries, but give him credit for being a plus offensive player the last two years and get excited about the speculative No. 2 slot in a good Baltimore batting order. Westburg is currently a 10th-round pick in Yahoo drafts, a ticket I’ll happily sign.
I can’t rank Albies any lower because he’s still bringing category juice, but he swings at too many pitches out of the strike zone and he’ll probably open the year in the bottom third of the Atlanta lineup. He’s a distant cry from the player who made All-Star teams and collected down-ballot MVP votes. Shorthand, he’s more name than game entering his age-29 season.
Advertisement
Talk Them Up, Talk Them Down
$11 Gleyber Torres, Tigers
$11 Bryson Stott, Phillies
$11 JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals
$10 Luis García Jr., Nationals
It’s encouraging that García had 16 homers and 14 steals in what could fairly be termed an off year — that’s probably his floor. He’s still just 26 and a year removed from a .282 average and .444 slugging percentage. It’s possible García will shift to first base this year, and he could fall into a platoon as well — at least it would be the heavier side of the platoon. There’s no reason to jump the line with García’s ADP. But he’s affordably priced for a player who’s already shown the ability to be a top-100 fantasy asset.
Wetherholt probably has a starting job in his back pocket now that the Cardinals have moved Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. Wetherholt was the No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft and had a robust .306/.421/.510 line between two stops in the minors last year, with 17 homers and 23 steals in just 109 games. He’s one of the prime Rookie of the Year contenders.
Some Plausible Upside
$7 Jackson Holliday, Orioles
$7 José Caballero, Yankees
$7 Jake Cronenworth, Padres
$6 Ernie Clement, Blue Jays
$4 Marcelo Mayer, Red Sox
Advertisement
Holliday tumbled down this list when the hamate bone injury came public. I am never going to be the injury optimist in my league. If a big discount doesn’t apply on draft day, count me out.
Mayer is going to do whatever the Red Sox ask, but perhaps his offensive growth would be cleaner if the team would let him settle in at one defensive position.
Baty has a capped upside as spring training opens, holding the heavy side of a DH platoon with Mark Vientos. His play to this point has mandated the caddy; his career slash against lefties is a punchless .200/.247/.300.
Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby has been in the headlines lately after reports surfaced that he’s done with the team.
Since the season ended, the whispers have become much louder about Crosby’s seemingly inevitable departure from Las Vegas. He’s heard the chatter and doesn’t sound too pleased with the things he’s hearing.
Advertisement
“People are gonna have rumors,” Crosby said. “I just looked at my phone, I’ve been working all morning. Everyone’s hitting me up, ‘Did you say this?’ I can’t control that. You earn that as a player. If I wasn’t doing the right things and if I wasn’t the person and player I was, you know, people wouldn’t be talking about all of the nonsense. But that’s what comes with it.
If you have drama, if you have a losing season, they just try to throw gasoline on the fire and make things a certain way. I know what I’m about, I know what I represent. I really don’t care what everybody has to say.”
Crosby has been a Pro Bowler in five of his seven seasons with the Raiders. He’s posted double-digit sack totals in four of those seasons, peaking in 2023 with 14.5 and finishing fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. Crosby came in as a playmaker for the franchise after being selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He had 10 sacks that first year and finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race.
Last offseason, Crosby signed a three-year extension with Las Vegas worth $106.5 million. Should he become available this offseason, Crosby would be one of the most coveted players in the trade market. Crosby ended the 2025 campaign on injured reserve due to a knee injury. However, he did appear in 15 games, ending the year with 73 total tackles, 10 sacks and his fifth Pro Bowl nod.
Cooper Flagg will end up missing his first All-Star weekend after all.
The Dallas Mavericks rookie underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed a left midfoot sprain, the team announced. He will now miss the Mavericks’ game with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and won’t participate in the Rising Stars game at the Intuit Dome on Friday to kick off All-Star Weekend in Southern California.
Unlike Flagg, though, Bailey wasn’t necessarily a focal point of his team’s lineup from the jump. While he’s started 37 of the 48 games he’s played in, his usage rate (18.7%) is noticeably lower than Flagg’s (24.7%).
That said, Bailey has still shown promise, particularly of late. He’s averaging 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 44.9% from the field, including 34.3% from beyond the arc.
He’s gone for 20-plus points on seven different occasions. Four of those outings have come in the past 12 games.
Although Flagg won’t get to participate in the weekend’s festivities, his injury arrived at perhaps the best time for the Mavericks. Flagg isn’t expected to miss any further time recovering, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. The Mavericks will return from the All-Star break on Feb. 20 for a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving Flagg more than a week to recover.
Advertisement
Flagg, whom the Mavericks selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last summer, has averaged 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season. The former Duke standout has shot just better than 48% from the field. Flagg had a game-high 27 points and five assists in Dallas’ 120-111 loss to the Phoenix Suns in Arizona on Tuesday night.
But despite a strong start to his rookie campaign, the Mavericks have struggled lately. The team will enter Thursday’s game at Crypto.com Arena with a 19-34 record. They have lost eight straight and sit 12th in the Western Conference standings, which has them on pace to miss the playoffs for a second straight year.
Advertisement
As for Bailey’s Jazz, they’re also in the West’s cellar. At 18-37, Utah is 13th in the conference table.
But both of those teams are planning for the future, and their teenage rising stars are at the core of those plans.
LIVIGNO, Italy — Shaun White didn’t just build a business empire on the back of Olympic medals, he practically built the entire sport of halfpipe into a worldwide phenomenon.
But when he retired from competitive snowboarding four years ago after the Beijing Games, there was one thing he hadn’t built: a bench of American stars ready to take his place.
Advertisement
We’re about to find out if that’s on the verge of changing.
Alessandro Barbieri, a mere 17 years old, enters the men’s halfpipe finals Friday as the best American hope. He’s already being talked up as a future superstar in this event — including by White himself. If he continues on his current trajectory, it’s not a stretch to envision a gold medal around his neck in 2030 or 2034.
But is he ready to win it all now?
“Honestly, you never know if you’re really ready,” Barbieri said Wednesday night after qualifying with the fourth-highest score. “The only thing you can do is just land your tricks one by one. I don’t really think about if I could win because there have been a lot of times where I could have been on the podium or even won a World Cup and it didn’t go my way. You can never really think I’m supposed to do something. Nothing’s guaranteed in life.”
Advertisement
That’s true, but Barbieri appears to be one of those jump-off-the-screen talents for whom it’s only a matter of time before it all comes together.
Need evidence?
Not only did Barbieri have to deal with the nerves of being in his first Olympics in the run-up to qualifying, he had to do it in the country where his parents were raised before moving to the U.S. in 2006 and where much of his extended family still lives.
Alessandro Barbieri practices before the men’s snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
But if Barbieri was feeling any added pressure, he didn’t show it, smoothly executing all five tricks of his first run to score 88.50, comfortably putting him in the finals.
“Let’s say what I really have in my head is a 10. That was more like a six,” Barbieri said, assessing his qualifying performance. “I have a lot more in the tank and I’m ready to show it to the public.”
Advertisement
Yeah, the kid’s got some swagger, too.
But it’s well-earned.
After finishing second at the Youth Olympic Games a little more than two years ago, his career really started to take off. Last February, he made his first World Cup podium and has continued to put himself in the mix, showing it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through.
Will that happen at the Olympics?
Against a field headlined by Japan’s Ayumu Hirano and Australia’s Scotty James, who finished 1-2 at the last Olympics, it’s a tough ask. Between a handful of other Japanese and Australian riders, who are all at the top of their game right now, this is shaping up as arguably the toughest halfpipe field in Olympic history.
Former American snowboarder Shaun White celebrates with Alessandro Barbieri during run two of the men’s snowboard halfpipe qualification. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
(David Ramos via Getty Images)
But in an interview last week with USA Today, White identified Barbieri as someone who could pull off a big upset, citing a recent event where he landed two triple corks in one run and compared him to a student cramming for a test.
Advertisement
“He’s advancing, he’s making these tricks happen right up to the wire, but that could be the tipping point to have him succeed and hit the podium,” White said.
In his second qualifying run, which was ultimately irrelevant having already banked a high score, Barbieri could not quite put down a triple but knows against this field it’s going to be a requirement to have any shot.
“You’ll see it,” he promised.
Oozing charisma, Barbieri is only one big performance with lots of people watching from reaching a whole new level of stardom. But whether it happens Friday or four years from now, it appears Team USA might finally have someone capable of taking the halfpipe torch on the international stage after White’s retirement.
Advertisement
“We need another guy like Shaun,” Barbieri said. “We have really good snowboarders. Obviously no one to his level and dominance, but we need the U.S. back on the podium to keep the lineage of the U.S. greatness alive.”
“You should ask the Europeans and the World team if they’re going to compete,” Durant said, via Chron’s Michael Shapiro. “If you look at Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić now, let’s go back and look at what they do in the All-Star Game. Is that competition? So we haven’t questioned what they’ve been doing. But we going to question the old heads, and the Americans.”
Durant then said, with a laugh at the end, “But these two dudes out there, Luka and Jokić, they don’t care about the game at all.”
He continued: “These dudes be laying on the floor. They shoot from half court. But you’ve got to worry about the old heads playing hard? I can read between the lines, bro. … It’s just an overall topic that everybody’s been talking about.”
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, a member of Team World with Dončić and Jokić, told reporters on Tuesday that he plans on giving his all in this year’s All-Star Game, the 22-year-old’s second.
“I’ve seen the All-Star Game, and obviously it hasn’t been competitive,” Wembanyama said, per ESPN. “And I’ve always thought myself that if I was in there, I’m never stepping onto the court to lose or not caring. Just like at home, I’m never stepping into a board game not caring, thinking I’m going to lose. … I’m going to be out there, I might as well win.”
When asked about that statement Wednesday, Durant remained skeptical.
“He said that last year, too. They said it was the worst All-Star Game that people watched. So we’re going to see. … Who knows what’s going to happen? This format might change the game, but who knows? We’ll see.”
There were no positional requirements for this year’s All-Star lineups. That’s a first for the exhibition, now in its 75th year.
Advertisement
In terms of the game itself, there will still technically be four 12-minute quarters, although each will be its own game. Each of the three teams will play twice during round-robin action. The fourth “quarter” will pit the two teams with the best records to decide a champion.
Point differential will be the post-round-robin tiebreaker if all three teams have 1-1 records.
The NBA All-Star Game has been a criticism magnet for years. At the heart of that condemnation has been fans’ frustration with players’ effort, or lack thereof.
But with the Paris Olympics not that far in the rear-view mirror and the Milan Cortina Olympics ongoing, the NBA hopes to ride the international wave.
Advertisement
Perhaps Durant’s comments can stoke a flame that ignites more competitive play on Sunday.
The Seattle Seahawks completed an unlikely Super Bowl run on Sunday, beating the New England Patriots 29-13 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score and securing a title from long-shot preseason odds of 60-1. Those are the longest odds for a champion in 25 years … since the Patriots (60-1) beat the Los Angeles Rams in 2001.
One bettor cashed in to the tune of nearly $4.5 million on Seattle’s Super Bowl 60 win, including a $50,000 wager on the Seahawks at 60-1 odds at BetMGM that was placed last August. Another bettor at DraftKings had a $10,000 futures wager on the Patriots at 80-1 odds that was made last January, so there is potential value in making Super Bowl wagers early if you’re able to identify the right team.
Advertisement
Coming off their Super Bowl 60 win, the Seahawks (+800) are the favorite at BetMGM, followed closely by the Los Angeles Rams (+900). The Seahawks were No. 1 in DVOA this season and the Rams were the top power-rated team by oddsmakers, so it’s not surprising that both are atop the odds board for next year, especially after Matthew Stafford indicated he’d be returning for the 2026-27 season. They are the only two teams with single-digit odds.
Two AFC powerhouses — the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills — have the next-best odds at 12-1, followed by the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles at 14-1 and two AFC West rivals (Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs) at 15-1. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 16 and it’s unknown if he’ll be ready for Week 1.
Advertisement
The other Super Bowl 60 participant — the Patriots — also are at 15-1, tied for the fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl in the AFC. New England had 80-1 odds in the preseason heading into this season.
Caleb Williams and the surprising Chicago Bears have 25-1 odds, their shortest preseason Super Bowl odds since 2019. Same for the Jacksonville Jaguars at 20-1, as they have their franchise’s shortest preseason Super Bowl odds since 2018.
In all, it’s a wide-open field for next season, with 17 of the 32 teams owning odds of 30-1 or better.
The Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have the longest odds among NFL teams at 250-1.
MILAN — A Ukrainian skeleton pilot has been banned from competing at the Winter Olympics for insisting upon wearing a helmet featuring images of athletes killed during Russia’s invasion of his home country.
The International Olympic Committee announced “with regret” the decision to disqualify Vladyslav Heraskevych on Thursday just minutes before the first round of the men’s skeleton competition was set to begin.
Advertisement
“This is the price of our dignity,” Heraskevych posted Thursday to X shortly after a last-minute meeting with IOC President Kirsty Coventry failed to produce a breakthrough.
When he spoke with reporters on Thursday, Heraskevych said he did not consider racing with another helmet because he believes he’s “not violating any rules.” Heraskevych pointed to “big inconsistencies” of athletes from other countries being able to express their political views during press conferences but him not being able to do so while competing.
“U.S. figure skater, Canadian freeskier, Israeli skeleton athlete who is also here today, they didn’t face the same things,” Heraskevych said. “So suddenly, just a Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for this helmet.”
Vladyslav Heraskevych’s helmet featured victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images)
(TIZIANA FABI via Getty Images)
Shortly after Heraskevych first wore his helmet during a training run on Monday, the IOC met with his coach and Ukrainian officials to explain that the helmet was not compliant with its rules. The Olympic charter states that “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
Advertisement
When Heraskevych made it clear that he intended to wear the helmet anyway, the IOC offered him the option to wear a black armband or black ribbon instead of the helmet. Coventry also traveled to Cortina to sit down in person with Heraskevych in hopes of brokering a compromise.
“The IOC was very keen for Mr. Heraskevych to compete,” it said in a statement. “This is why the IOC sat down with him to look for the most respectful way to address his desire to remember his fellow athletes who have lost their lives following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified by the IOC over his intention to wear a helmet honoring fallen countrymen in the ongoing war against Russia. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Calling it “an emotional morning,” Coventry reiterated when speaking to reporters that the ban was not about the content of Heraskevych’s message. The issue, she said, was that he insisted on displaying it “on the field of play.”
Advertisement
“The messaging is a powerful message of remembrance, it’s a message of memory, and no-one is disagreeing with that,” Coventry said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Heraskevych for sacrificing his Olympic dreams to honor his countrymen. In a social media post, Zelenskyy said that 660 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed since the Russian invasion began.
“We are proud of Vladyslav and of what he did,” Zelenskyy said. “Having courage is worth more than any medal.”
“Sport shouldn’t mean amnesia, and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors. Unfortunately, the decision of the International Olympic Committee to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych says otherwise. This is certainly not about the principles of Olympism, which are founded on fairness and the support of peace.”
Following their luge relay competition on Thursday, the Ukrainian team members dropped to one knee and raised their helmets in honor of Heraskevych.
Team Ukraine raise their helmets in a tribute to Vladyslav Heraskevych. (Reuters)
(REUTERS / REUTERS)
Heraskevych competed at the previous two Winter Olympics in the skeleton, placing 12th in PyeongChang in 2018 and 18th in Beijing in 2022. He had an outside shot at a medal in Cortina based on the results of his training runs.
Advertisement
On Thursday, moments after his disqualification, Heraskevych urged broadcast companies who air the Olympics to show his final training run “to honor athletes pictured on this helmet.”
“I believe they deserve this moment,” he said. “Certainly I do not get my moment at this Olympics, despite I would say pretty good results in the training runs. I really believe we could be among the medallists today and tomorrow, but we will not be able to race.”
In today’s Kevin O’Connor Show, KOC goes over his NBA awards rankings approaching the midway point of the season. Plus, he reacts to the news of the Jaren Jackson Jr. season-ending surgery, and proposes a new system to weed out the problem of tanking in the NBA.
Advertisement
Then, KOC does a live mail-bag segment with questions from the YouTube chat. That and more for today’s pre-All-Star Weekend show!
(0:33) NBA Awards check-in (8:37) How can the NBA solve tanking? (29:07) Live YouTube Q&A
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 07: Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz looks on against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Kia Center on February 07, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
