The International Olympic Committee has barred Ukraine’s skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing with a helmet that honors Ukrainian sportspeople killed during the war with Russia.
“The IOC fully understands the desire of athletes to remember friends who lost their lives in that conflict,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said at a news conference. He added that while Heraskevych has worn the helmet in training and expressed his feelings on social media, the IOC determined the helmet “contravenes the … guidelines.”
Ukraine’s Olympic Committee requested permission for the so‑called “helmet of remembrance” after an IOC representative told Heraskevych he could not use the helmet he had worn in training. The design includes photographs of athletes who died after Russia’s full‑scale invasion in 2022.
The Ukrainian committee said the helmet contains no political slogans or discriminatory content, describing it as a tribute “to honor Ukrainian athletes killed while defending Ukraine or who became victims of Russia’s full‑scale war against Ukraine.” The IOC denied the request ahead of the Milano‑Cortina 2026 skeleton competition.
As a compromise, IOC officials said Heraskevych may wear a black armband while competing. “We feel this is a good compromise,” Adams said, emphasizing the need to keep the field of play as neutral as possible and noting that athletes can express themselves elsewhere.
Heraskevych, regarded as a medal contender, said he could not understand how the helmet would harm anyone. He noted it features photos of athletes including figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko and hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, some of whom died fighting on the front lines.
Before the decision, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted support on social media, writing that the remembrance “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.”
Russian athletes are not allowed to compete under the Russian flag at the Games; 13 Russians are taking part as “Individual Neutral Athletes.” The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in February 2022, citing the invasion as a violation of the Olympic Truce.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko