Heraskevych banned from wearing helmet with photos of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia at Olympics: Zelenskyy responds to IOC decision
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych said he was banned from wearing a helmet with images of Ukrainian athletes killed as a result of Russian aggression at the 2026 Olympics.
He made this statement on his Instagram page, according to Censor.NET.
The IOC has banned the use of the helmet
"The IOC prohibits the use of my helmet at official training sessions and competitions. This decision is simply heartbreaking. It feels like the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement by not allowing them to be honoured in the sporting arena, where these athletes will never be able to compete again. Despite precedents in the present and in the past, when the IOC allowed such tributes, this time they decided to establish special rules for Ukraine," the athlete said.
Heraskevych added that he is preparing an official request to the IOC and will fight for the right to compete at the Olympics wearing this helmet.
Zelenskyy responds to IOC decision
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the IOC's decision to ban Heraskevych from wearing the "helmet of remembrance" at the 2026 Olympics.
"This truth cannot be inconvenient, inappropriate or called a 'political action at sporting events'. It is a reminder to the whole world of what modern Russia is like. And this is what reminds everyone of the global role of sport and the historical mission of the Olympic movement as such - it is all about peace and for the sake of life. Ukraine is committed to this. Russia proves the opposite," the head of state wrote on his Telegram channel.
Zelenskyy noted that Heraskevych's helmet features portraits of our athletes who were killed by Russia.
In particular, figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, who died in the battles near Bakhmut, 19-year-old biathlete Yevhen Malyshev, who was killed by the occupiers near Kharkiv, and other Ukrainian athletes who lost their lives in the Russian war.
The president thanked the flag bearer of the Ukrainian team for reminding the world of "the price of our struggle."
