Winter Olympics: IOC approves black armband but denies tribute helmet for Ukrainian Olympian

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been granted permission by the International Olympic Committee to wear a black armband during competition at the Milan Cortina Games, but he will not be allowed to use the helmet he designed to honour Ukrainian athletes killed in the ongoing war with Russia. The IOC described its decision as a compromise.

Addressing the issue on Tuesday, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said the organisation had tried to balance Heraskevych’s wishes with Olympic regulations. “I think what we’ve tried to do is to address his desires with compassion and understanding,” Adams said. “He has expressed himself on social media and in the training and, as you know, we will not stop him expressing himself in press conferences, as he leaves competition in the mixed zone and elsewhere. We feel that this is a good compromise in the situation.”




Heraskevych revealed that he was informed late on Monday that the helmet, which features the faces of several Ukrainian athletes killed since 2022, would not be approved. Olympic officials ruled that it violated the ban on political statements at the Games.

The 25-year-old, who finished fourth at last year’s world championships and is widely viewed as a medal contender, has training runs scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. He is expected to line up for the men’s skeleton event on Thursday.

It remains unclear whether Heraskevych will choose to wear the armband. While the IOC noted that armbands have been prohibited in previous cases, Adams confirmed an exception was being made, stressing that the decision does not open the door for all athletes. Any armband worn must not feature text.

“We didn’t violate any rules, and it should be allowed for me to compete with this helmet,” Heraskevych told The Associated Press on Monday. “I cannot understand how this helmet hurt anyone. It’s to pay tribute to athletes and some of them were medalists in the Youth Olympic Games. That means they’re Olympic family. They were part of this Olympic family, so I cannot understand they would find a reason why not.”

The helmet includes images of figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, a former Youth Olympic Games teammate, along with boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, hockey player Oleksiy Loginov and others. According to Heraskevych, some were killed while serving on the front lines, while at least one lost his life while delivering humanitarian aid.

The issue also drew attention from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who posted on Instagram to thank Heraskevych for “reminding the world the price of our struggle.”

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