Zelenskyy supports Olympian Heraskevych, who was banned by IOC from wearing helmet with photos of killed Ukrainian athletes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed support for Ukrainian national skeletonist Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from wearing a helmet bearing portraits of deceased Ukrainian athletes.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Heraskevych's helmet is a reminder to the world of the cost of Ukraine's struggle and the reality of modern Russia's actions.

“His helmet bears portraits of our athletes who were killed by Russia. Figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, who was killed in combat near Bakhmut; Yevhen Malyshev, a 19-year-old biathlete killed by the occupiers near Kharkiv; and other Ukrainian athletes whose lives were taken by Russia’s war. I thank the flag bearer of our national team at the Winter Olympics, Vladyslav Heraskevych, for reminding the world of the price of our struggle,” Zelenskyy stressed.

Zelenskyy noted that the truth about the killed Ukrainian athletes and their memorialization on Heraskevych's helmet cannot be inconvenient or inappropriate and should not be considered a "political demonstration at a sporting event." This is a reminder to the entire 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 itself – it is all about peace and for the sake of life. Ukraine remains faithful to this. Russia proves the opposite.”

Ukrainian skeletonist Vladyslav Heraskevych reported on Instagram that International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative Toshio Tsurunaga, who is responsible for communications between athletes and NOCs, banned the use of helmets bearing images of killed Ukrainian athletes during official competitions and training sessions. Heraskevych noted that other violations of IOC rules, such as athletes wearing the Russian flag on their helmets, have received no response.

"Considering the fact that yesterday an Italian snowboarder competed with the Russian flag on his helmet, which is expressly prohibited by the IOC, there was no reaction. However, we received a critical ban on the helmet with the killed Ukrainian athletes, including Olympians and members of the Olympic family," the athlete emphasized.

Heraskevych added that history knows of precedents where sporting achievements were combined with honoring the fallen loved ones, but the IOC applies different rules for Ukrainians. He emphasized that, despite the ban, the team is not giving up and is preparing an official request to the IOC.

"There's already a precedent in history. That was the legendary German weightlifter Matthias Steiner, who competed in and won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He celebrated his medal at the awards ceremony with a photograph of his late wife. It's still considered one of the most emotional and legendary moments in IOC history. But unfortunately, the IOC has its own rules for Ukrainians. Despite this, we're not giving up, we're continuing the fight. We're preparing an official request to the IOC, and I sincerely hope that this was the position of just this representative, and not the entire International Olympic Committee," Heraskevych said in his address.

Earlier, Heraskevych also explained that the helmet was dedicated to fallen Ukrainian athletes and war heroes. He emphasized that it would be an honor to perform with these images and show the world the price Ukraine pays daily: "This helmet bears the images of fallen Ukrainian athletes... I will compete for them. It's an honor for me to wear these images and show the world the price Ukraine pays daily in this bloody war," Heraskevych said.

The helmet depicts, among others, figure skater Dmytro Sharper, Olympic medalist boxer Maksym Halynyshchev, children killed by Russian shelling, representatives of summer and winter sports, and sports veterans.