Vladyslav Heraskevych: Ukraine skeleton racer says IOC banned war victims helmet
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has claimed the International Olympic Committee banned his helmet bearing images of people killed in his country’s war, in a decision that “breaks my heart”.
The 26-year-old wore the helmet during Winter Olympic training in Cortina and had vowed to use the event as a platform to draw attention to the conflict ahead of the Games.
The IOC has not yet publicly announced whether the helmet has been banned.
“The IOC has banned the use of my helmet in official training sessions and competitions,” said Heraskevych, who was the Ukrainian flag bearer at Friday’s opening ceremony. on Instagram, external.
“It’s a decision that breaks my heart. The feeling that the IOC has betrayed the athletes who are part of the Olympic movement, not allowing these athletes to be honored in a sports arena where they will never step foot again.”
“Despite precedents in modern times and in the past where the IOC has allowed such extortions, this time they decided to impose special rules just for Ukraine.”
Heraskevych told Reuters that most of those in the photo on his helmet were athletes, such as young weightlifter Alina Peregudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko and ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, and some were his friends.
Heraskevych said that Toshio Tsurunaga, the IOC representative responsible for communication between athletes, national Olympic committees and the IOC, went to the athletes’ village to brief him.
“He said it was because of rule 50,” Heraskevych told Reuters.
50.2 of the Olympic Charter. Its rule states that “no demonstrations of any kind or political, religious or racial propaganda are permitted in any Olympic venue, venue or other area.”
He said earlier Monday that the IOC had contacted the Ukrainian Olympic Committee about the helmet issue.
The IOC said it had not received any official requests for the helmet to be used in the competition, which starts on February 12.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Heraskevych “for reminding the world of the price of our struggle.” Publish on X, external.
The post continued: “This fact cannot be offensive, out of place or called a ‘political spectacle at a sporting event’. It is a reminder to the whole world of what modern Russia is.”
Heraskevych, Ukraine’s first skeleton athlete, held up the “No to War in Ukraine” banner at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, days before Russia invaded the country in 2022.
50.2 of the Olympic Charter. Its rule states: “No demonstrations of any kind or political, religious or racial propaganda are permitted in any Olympic venue, venue or other area.”
Heraskevych had said the Games aimed to comply with Olympic rules banning political demonstrations at venues while continuing to raise awareness about the war in Ukraine.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus were largely banned from participating in international sports following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but there has been a gradual return to competition since then.
IOC cleared 13 athletes from Russia, external Competing as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) in Milan-Cortina.
BBC Sport has approached the IOC for comment.
