Vladyslav Heraskevych has accused the International Olympic Committee of doing Russia’s propaganda for them after he was barred from racing in the Winter Games because he wanted to wear a “helmet of memory” in honour of Ukraine’s war dead,Speaking to journalists following the IOC’s decision, the 27-year-old was asked how he felt,“Emptiness,” he replied,“Yesterday was amazing training,I could be among the medalists in this event, but suddenly, because of some interpretation of the rules which I do not agree with, I am not able to compete.

“I was at many funerals when I was in Ukraine and it’s a truly terrible tragedy that young people at such a young age were killed for nothing,” he added,“Because of their sacrifice, we’re able to be here today, and I want to honour them, and I want to honour their families,”Heraskevych also thanked the IOC’s president, Kirsty Coventry, for meeting him at 8,30am, an hour before the skeleton competition began, and for what he said were her kind words to him,But he added: “But, as I told her, this situation plays along with Russian propaganda and it does not look good.

I believe it’s a terrible mistake that was made by the IOC.”Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: Chloe Kim is the only boarder left.It’s all on this, she has to deliver.This is the first time in her Olympic career where she’s been put in this position, her other Gold’s have come with a victory lap.There will be no such thing today, here we go!CURRENT PODIUM 90.

25 Choi 88.00 Kim (one more run) 85.00 OnoWomen’s Snowboard Halfpipe: Choi knocks Kim out of first!It’s snowing hard again, and Choi Gaon is in the pipe, which is impressive in its own right after her devastating crash in the first run.She loads up with three 900s, and everything is clean.Up to the judges … who are taking some times …90.

25! She’s ahead of her mentor Chloe Kim!Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: It is bucketing it down with snow on the half pipe, is it contributing to how many wipeouts and failed landings we’ve seen?Ouch! Canada’s Elizabeth Hosking hits the lip of the wall and crashes down onto her back.I think she’s ok, she unclips from her board but is being seen to by the medics.Short Track Speed Skating: Zhang Chutong of China and Julie Letai of the United States collide for a second time! This is chaos.I feel like Alan Partridge commentating on the tour de France.Women’s Curling Round Robin: It’s all square at 2-2 between Great Britain and China at the halfway stage.

It’s an edgy affair as Mary J Blige did not sing,Mary J can’t curl for Highland toffee I bet,Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: What else can Chloe Kim do? Maybe launch herself into orbit?The first three tricks are the same as in her first run – 720, switch with big amplitude, double cork 1080 again, and she tries back-to-back double corks!But no, she can’t land that one,If she finishes that off in the last run, judges will run out of numbers,Standings after second runEveryone gets one more chance to improve …88.

00 C.Kim (USA) 85.00 Ono (Japan) 81.75 Kudo (Japan) – improved from 77.50 80.

75 Cai (China) – improved from 73.00 77.00 B.Kim (USA) – improved from 7.25 70.

25 Wu (China) – improved from 67.75 68.25 Tomita (Japan) – improved from 23.50Hosking (Canada) has come close to completing a strong routine but hasn’t done so.Short Track Speed Skating: This is fast.

I’d argue too fast to live blog… but the women’s 500m quarter-final sees a new Olympic record straightaway!Flying Dutchwoman Xandra Velzeboer, the current world record holder, scorches the ice with a time of 41.583.s!Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe:Chloe Kim is just awesome.There’s no other way to describe that.OK, we’ll try – backside 720, switch backside air, switch double cork 1080 …A mere mortal, upon landing that trick, would take it easy the rest of the way.

She didn’t.Good luck beating that.88.00Standings after first runReminder: Only the best run of the three will count.88.

00 Kim (USA) 85,00 Ono (Japan) 77,50 Kudo (Japan) 73,00 Cai (China) 67,75 Wu (China)No one else completed a run without a fall, so those scores really aren’t worth collecting here.

Women’s Curling Round Robin: Great Britain take a 2-0 lead against China heading into the fourth end,The Chinese team were just guilty of a “hog-line violation” the first one at these games,It’s a bit like a foot fault in tennis – the thrower must release their stone before crossing the green line,“There was a lingering finger,” says BBC Sport’s Logan Gray on comms,I think I had a pint of Lingering Finger at Ilkley Beer Festival in 2008.

Malty.Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: Chloe Kim is about to attempt her first run… Snoop Dogg is in the house too!Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: It’s still 0-0 in the curling but I’m distracted by the shrieks on my second screen as both Sena Tomita of Japan and Canada’s Elizabeth Hosking wipeout! Thankfully both are ok and will have two more attempts to pull off something special.Each competitor has three runs and only their best score counts.Pressure on!Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: Chloe Kim will have the chance to watch all of her fellow competitors strut their stuff before she heads out last in the first run: Follow along with Beau Dure here:Running order:1.Wu Shaotong (China)2.

Mitsuki Ono (Japan)3.Bea Kim (USA)4.Sena Tomita (Japan)5.Elizabeth Hosking (Canada)6.Queralt Castellet Ibanez (Spain)7.

Choi Goan (South Korea)8.Cai Xuetong (China)9.Rise Kudo (Japan)10.Maddie Mastro (USA)11.Sara Shimizu (Japan)12.

Chloe Kim (USA)Women’s Curling Round Robin: Jen Dodds and her team have just got underway against China at the curling centre,Britain won gold in Beijing but only Dodds remains from that team, they are thus not considered favourites but are on record saying they are “dreaming of a medal”,Steve Cram’s soothing North East of England tones waft out of the telly, we’re in safe hands folks,It’s 0-0 after three ends,They beat Austria into silver by half a second and Italy take the bronze.

The Germans are the masters of this event, it’s a fourth consecutive gold for them.Team members and legendary sliders Tobias Arlt and Tobias Wendl also become eight-time gold medal winners in the process.Luge Team Relay: Just Germany left to slide, Austria sit in Silver and Italy have just taken the Bronze position! Julia Taubitz to lead Germany off and she’s already the quickest out of the traps…Luge Team Relay: The Polish team have a nightmare on the very first bit of the course, sliding sideways and hitting the ice with a thud which slows them right down.That mistake will basically cost them posting any sort of competitive time.The Ukraine team slide down and sit in second position currently with a time of 3 mins 46 seconds.

At the end of the run the team make a unified statement, taking a knee and raising their helmets above their heads.Quietly powerful.To be a Olympic-class skeleton racer requires extraordinary guts and impeccable nerve, as the corners loom and then whoosh past at frightening speed.So did anybody really believe that Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych would lose his when the world’s eyes were upon him?Not the International Olympic Committee, who flipped between threats of expulsion and sweet talk over the last fortnight, without coming close to changing his mind.And certainly not those of us who have spoken and messaged Heraskevych, and found a man utterly prepared to sacrifice his dream of winning a Winter Olympic medal for a higher purpose.

In public and private his message was the same: he would not back down.And if the IOC barred from competing in his “helmet of memory”, which commemorates some of the 600 Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed by Russian bombs and bullets since 2022, he would accept his fate.And when the moment came, shortly before 8.30am on Thursday, he met it with a powerful but resolute message: “This is price of our dignity,” alongside a photo of his helmet.For the IOC it must have been like watching a public relations car crash from the passenger seat.

One that everyone knew was going to happen – and nothing could be done about it.Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe: The USA’s Chloe Kim will be going for gold from around 18:30pm GMT.Our colleagues in the US have got a dedicated blog up and running as Kim attempts to bag an incredible, gravity defying third Olympic gold in a row after becoming the first woman to successfully defend the Olympic halfpipe title in 2022.Join Beau Dure for all the buildup:Luge Team Relay: Romania are the first team out of the traps.They get down with a few bumps that slow them right down, 3 mins and 49 seconds isn’t going to cut it (apparently).

As ever the camerawork on these sliding events is fast, frenetic and fantastic.So many cutaways.It’s a bit like watching an Edgar Wright movie.Baby Luger?Germany will be the last of the nine teams to go, they are the defending champs and the team to beat.Austria and Latvia could challenge them and China are an outside bet.

Luge Team Relay: Is just getting underway at the Cortina sliding centre,This event is an absolute riot, the crowds are packed in and cheering and we’ve not go to our first sliders yet,The team consists of women’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s singles and men’s doubles,They set off at the top and slide down as fast as they can, when they reach the bottom they thwack a button which signals their team-mate at the top of the hill to get sliding,Imagine a university drinking boat race but with far fewer blokes in gilets from the home counties braying and drinking ale.

Thanks Tanya and hello everyone,I come armed with my kitchen broom and have donned my slipper socks to bring you all the action from Milano Cortina via my sofa and various watching devices,We’ve got curling, snowboard halfpipe and luge relay to get stuck into over the next few hours,Tune in and join in on the email at the left flank of this page,Ice hockey:Canada have taken a 3-0 lead against Czech Republic, Bo Harvat slotting the puck after 37 minutes