IOC bans Ukrainian skeleton slider’s helmet showing athletes killed in war

By Aleks Klosok, CNN

Milan (CNN) — Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych says the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned him from wearing his helmet featuring images of athletes killed during the war in Ukraine.

The helmet was worn by the 27-year-old during a Winter Olympics skeleton training session in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Monday.

The athletes featured on the helmet are: 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.

In a video posted on social media following his training session, Heraskevych — who carried his country’s flag at the opening ceremony — said Toshio Tsurunaga, the IOC representative in charge of communications between athletes, national Olympic committees and the IOC, had gone to the Athletes’ Village to inform him of the decision.

“A decision that simply breaks my heart. The feeling that the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement, not allowing them to be honored on the sports arena where these athletes will never be able to step again,” he says in the video.

“Despite precedents in modern times and in the past when the IOC allowed such tributes, this time they decided to set special rules just for Ukraine.”

CNN Sports has contacted Mr. Tsurunaga for comment.

Heraskevych later told Reuters that the IOC’s decision was because of Rule 50.

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.”

Ukraine’s Olympic Committee announced Tuesday that it had submitted an official request to the IOC for Heraskevych to wear “a helmet of remembrance” at the Games.

“The helmet was created to honor Ukrainian athletes killed while defending Ukraine or who became victims of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Olympic Committee said in a statement.

“The NOC of Ukraine emphasizes that it fully complies with safety requirements and IOC rules, does not contain advertising, political slogans, or discriminatory elements, and was confirmed as meeting the established standards during official training sessions.”

At a press conference, IOC spokesman Mark Adams acknowledged the organization received the request, but still did not believe the helmet should be allowed.

“We received the formal request to wear the helmet in competition this morning. The IOC fully understands the desire of athletes to remember friends and colleague that have lost their lives in conflict,” Adams said.

“There was an informal meeting last night with Mr. Heraskevych’s coach and his delegation and we reiterated our understanding of the athlete wishing to pay tribute to his fellow Ukrainian athletes. … The Games need to be separated from not only political and religious, but from all types of interference so that all athletes can concentrate on their performance.

“He has done that in training and on social media, he has expressed his feelings, but what we have said is this helmet contravenes the … guidelines.”

Adams concluded, saying: “After the meeting, we will make an exception to the guidelines to allow him to wear a black armband during competition to make that commemoration. … We feel this is a good compromise.”

CNN Sports has reached out to the Ukrainian Olympic Committee for comment.

Speaking to CNN ahead of the Games, the Ukrainian athlete promised to used the event as a platform to remind the world of Russia’s ongoing war in his homeland and hinted that protests could take place.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to social media to praise Heraskevych for wearing the helmet, thanking him “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 whole world of what modern Russia is,” Zelenskyy wrote.

“And this is what reminds everyone of the global role of sports and the historic mission of the Olympic movement itself – it is all about peace and for the sake of life. Ukraine remains faithful to this. Russia proves otherwise.”

The IOC has cleared 13 Russian and 7 Belarusian athletes to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes in the Winter Games.

Heraskevych made headlines around the world four years ago at the Beijing Games when he held up a “No War in Ukraine” banner to protest the impending Russian invasion.

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