The International Olympic Committee has banned Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing while wearing a helmet honouring those killed in the war with Russia. The IOC said he may instead wear a black armband, Reuters reported.
The IOC ruled that Heraskevych cannot use the so-called “helmet of remembrance” during skeleton competition at the Winter Olympics. The athlete had previously trained in Italy wearing headgear displaying images of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war.
The Olympic body said Heraskevych was free to express his views outside competition venues, but not during events themselves. The decision was based on Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits political, religious or racial demonstrations on the field of play or podiums.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said the organisation understood the athlete’s desire to honour those who lost their lives, but that the helmet contravened existing guidelines. As a compromise, the IOC decided to allow Heraskevych to wear a black armband during competition.
Heraskevych criticised the decision as unfair, saying he did not believe the helmet violated Olympic rules. He stated that it did not constitute political or discriminatory propaganda.
The helmet featured images of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war, including teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ischenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov and dancer Daria Kurdel.