Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych is out of the Milan/Cortina Olympics over a dispute concerning a helmet he wanted to wear in the skeleton competition to honour athletes killed in the war with Russia.

A last-ditch effort by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry around an hour before the start of the event on Thursday in a meeting with Heraskevych at the sliding centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo failed to make him change his mind.

Heraskevych said he feels "emptiness" after the decision and that he may take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid "to defend our rights."

Coventry said: "Sadly, we've not been able to come to that solution. I really wanted to see him race today. It's been an emotional morning.

"No-one - no-one - especially me, is disagreeing with the messaging. The messaging is a powerful message of remembrance, it's a message of memory, and no-one is disagreeing with that.

"We wanted to come up with a solution for just the field of play. I know he's very quick, so for just two minutes to not wear the helmet on the field of play."

The IOC said earlier in a statement that Heraskevych's Games accreditation has been withdrawn.

"Despite multiple exchanges and in-person meetings between the IOC and Mr Heraskevych, the last one this morning with IOC President Kirsty Coventry, he did not consider any form of compromise," it said.

"The IOC was very keen for Mr Heraskevych to compete. 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. The essence of this case is not about the message, it is about where he wanted to express it."

The IOC does not allow any kind of political statements in competition. It offered a compromise solution allowing the slider to wear a black armband instead but Heraskevych did not want to back down and wanted to wear the helmet on the track.

Heraskevych's helmet features images of around 20 athletes, including Youth Olympics medallists, who were killed in Russian attacks. The design was intended as a tribute to sports colleagues who have died during the war.

He applied to the IOC to wear it which was turned down earlier in the week. Heraskevych did not bow and the IOC said he reiterated on Thursday morning that he planned to wear the helmet.

The IOC has referred to its regulations against political messages at the Games, which were set up together with the athletes' community.

The Olympic body has said that all athletes must be able to compete in a safe environment and not be influenced by various conflicts in the world.

"It's not about the messaging, 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," Coventry said.

Heraskevych insisted he didn't violate the Olympic Charter and said that other athletes expressed themselves as well.

"I believe we didn't violate any rules," he said. "I see big inconsistencies in decisions, in the wording, in the press conferences of the IOC, and I believe it's the biggest problem that it's inconsistent."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other political leaders in Europe have backed Heraskevych, who was fourth at last year's world championships and a possible medal contender at the Games.

At the 2022 Games, Heraskevych held up a placard with the writing "No war in Ukraine" after a run. He was not punished by the IOC. The Russian invasion started a few days after the end of the Games in Beijing.

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych has been banned from competing in the Olympic skeleton event over a helmet dispute, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said.

Heraskevych wanted to wear a helmet commemorating Ukrainian athletes who died in the war with Russia in the competition which starts later Thursday.

The IOC does not allow any kind of political statements at competition sites. It offered a compromise solution allowing the slider to wear a black armband instead but Heraskevych did not want to back down.

"Having been given one final opportunity, skeleton pilot Vladylsav Heraskevych from Ukraine will not be able to start his race at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this morning," the IOC said in a short statement.

"The decision followed his refusal to comply with the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression. It was taken by the jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) based on the fact that the helmet he intended to wear was not compliant with the rules."

A Ukrainian skeleton racer on Monday said he had been blocked by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from using a helmet commemorating athletes killed during the war in Ukraine.

Vladyslav Heraskevych said the helmet features images of around half a dozen athletes who were killed in Russian attacks. The design was intended as a tribute to sports colleagues who died during the war.

Heraskevych, 27, wore the helmet during official training at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Monday. It remains unclear whether he will be allowed to use it in competition later this week.

In a video posted on Instagram, Heraskevych said a representative of the IOC, responsible for communication with athletes and national Olympic committees, told him he was not permitted to use the helmet in training or competition.

He said he hoped the decision reflected the view of an individual official rather than the IOC as a whole.

"A decision that simply breaks my heart," Heraskevych wrote.

He said an official request would now be submitted to the IOC, according to English subtitles in the video.

Asked for comment, the IOC told dpa it had not yet received a formal request from Ukraine's national Olympic committee to approve the helmet. Once such a request is submitted, it would be reviewed, the IOC said.

Under its statutes, the IOC bans political messages.