Ukrainian athlete banned from wearing tribute helmet at Winter Olympics
“This fact cannot be called indecent, indecent or ‘political demonstration at a sporting event.’ It reminds the whole world of what modern Russia is.
“And this is what reminds everyone of the global role of sport and the historic mission of the Olympic movement; it is all about peace and for the sake of life. Ukraine remains true to this. Russia proves the opposite.”
International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said the IOC received a formal request for Heraskevych to wear the helmet but informed his coach that he could not wear the helmet in competition.
“The games need to be separated not only from political and religious issues, but also from any interference so that all athletes can focus on performance,” Adams said.
“We said this helmet was against the above-mentioned guidelines. But we said this after the meeting.” [with Heraskevych coach], After reiterating these rules, we decided to make an exception to allow him to wear a black armband during the competition.
“What we tried to do was respond to his desires with compassion and understanding.”
Heraskevych expressed her disappointment with the decision on social media but said they would not give up.
“At the Olympics, we saw a lot of Russian flags in the stands, on the helmet of one of the athletes, and for our IOC this is not a violation,” Heraskevych said.
“However, a violation was detected in the ‘helmet of memory’, which pays tribute to members of the Ukrainian sports family killed since the last Olympic Games.
Loading
“The truth is on our side. I hope for a fair final decision from the IOC.”
Later Tuesday local time, Heraskevych will hold a press conference with members of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee, where he will touch on “the importance of honoring the memory of Ukrainian athletes who lost their lives as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”
Winter Olympic Games will be broadcast on television 9Network, 9Now And Stan Sports.
