Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych cannot wear his “helmet of remembrance” honouring those killed in the war with Russia at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games skeleton competition but may use a black armband, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Feb 9.
The 27-year-old, who displayed a “No War in Ukraine” sign at the 2022 edition in Beijing days before Russia’s invasion, had been training in Italy with headgear showing images of slain Ukrainian athletes.
Ukraine’s flag bearer condemned the IOC decision as unfair.
The Olympic body said the athlete had worn the helmet in training and expressed his views on social media but he cannot do so once the competition starts on Feb 12, in order to keep politics away from the fields of play.
“We tried to address his desire with compassion,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference, explaining the decision. “The IOC fully understands the desire of athletes to remember friends who lost their lives in that conflict.”
Rule 50.2 of 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”, although athletes can express themselves freely elsewhere.
“The Games need to be separated from all types of interference so that all athletes can concentrate on their performances… We need to keep that specific moment as pure as we can for the competition,” Adams added.
“This helmet contravenes the… guidelines but… we will make an exception to allow him to wear a black armband during that competition to make that commemoration…
“We feel this is a good compromise of the situation.”
Heraskevych was not happy that the Ukrainian Olympic Committee’s request on his behalf was denied.
“It’s unfair treatment,” he told Reuters. “I don’t see any violation of Rule 50. It is not discrimination propaganda, it is not political propaganda.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, said on X: “I thank the flag bearer of our national team at the Winter Olympics, Vladyslav Heraskevych, for reminding the world of the price of our struggle.
“This truth cannot be inconvenient, inappropriate or called a ‘political demonstration at a sporting event’. It is a reminder to the entire world of what modern Russia is.”
More skeleton training was scheduled for later on Feb 10 with competition starting on Feb 12.
The helmet depicts various athletes killed in the war – some of whom were Heraskevych’s friends.
They include teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Khabarov and dancer Daria Kurdel.
Ukrainian Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi told AFP in February that Russia has killed “more than 650 athletes and coaches”, according to the latest data.
Following Moscow’s invasion, athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus were largely barred from international sport, but the IOC has since backed their gradual return under strict conditions.
Moscow and Minsk say sport should remain separate from international conflicts. REUTERS, AFP
