'So much respect': Ben Stiller backs Ukrainian althlete Heraskevych after Olympic scandal

Ben Stiller supports Heraskevych

On his social media, the actor shared a post reacting to the situation surrounding the Ukrainian athlete.

Stiller quoted Heraskevych’s post and added a short but meaningful comment:

“So much respect for this man.”

Ben Stiller supports Heraskevych (screenshot)

Recall that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing at the 2026 Games in a helmet featuring images of Ukrainian athletes who died as a result of Russian aggression.

The athlete reacted emotionally to the organization’s decision.

“The decision simply breaks my heart. It feels like the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement by not allowing their memory to be honored on the sports arena, a place they will never be able to compete in again,” Heraskevych wrote.

According to the athlete, the IOC had previously allowed various forms of commemorating fallen athletes, but this time, special rules were applied to Ukraine.

He also pointed out that Italian snowboarder Roland Fischnaller competed in the 2026 Olympic qualifiers wearing a helmet with the Russian flag, and the committee did not respond at all.

Vladyslav said his team is preparing an official request to the IOC and intends to defend his right to compete wearing this helmet.

Vladyslav Heraskevych (photo: instagram.com/heraskevychvladyslav)

Later, the Ukrainian athlete publicly addressed the International Olympic Committee, urging an end to the conflict.

“I propose to end this scandal. I never wanted a scandal with the IOC, and I did not create it. The IOC created it with its interpretation of the rules, which many view as discriminatory,” the skeleton racer said.

He emphasized that while the situation drew attention to the issue of fallen Ukrainian athletes, the scandal itself distracts from the competitions.

The athlete called on the IOC to lift the ban on using the Memory Helmet, apologize for the pressure he says was applied to him, and, as a gesture of solidarity, provide electric generators for Ukrainian sports facilities damaged by shelling.

Heraskevych expressed hope to receive a response before the start of the skeleton competitions.

Ben Stiller’s stance on Ukraine

Ben Stiller has publicly supported Ukraine before. In the summer of 2022, the actor visited Ukraine, including Lviv, Kyiv, and the recently de-occupied cities of Irpin and Bucha.

At that time, Stiller wanted to see firsthand the consequences of Russian aggression and draw global attention to the humanitarian situation.

Ben Stiller said that seeing everything in person is truly striking. He is in Ukraine with the UN Refugee Agency, and their humanitarian mission is to draw attention to the plight of those displaced by the war, including millions of internally displaced people.

Ben Stiller (photo: instagram.com/benstiller)

Read also: Ukraine slams IOC over athlete Heraskevych suspension