IOC suggests Olympian Heraskevych use black band instead of helmet with photos of deceased Ukrainian athletes

The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOC) has received a response from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding an appeal about the use of a "helmet of memory" by Ukrainian skeleton athlete and flag bearer Vladyslav Heraskevych at the XXV Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, in which the IOC proposes the athlete use a black armband instead of the helmet.

"The IOC confirmed that it understands the athlete’s desire to honor the memory of fallen Ukrainian athletes. At the same time, it banned the use of personalized equipment during competitions, as it does not comply with the guiding principles of the Olympic Charter, which provide for the neutrality of equipment and the inadmissibility of political or other messages during competitions. The IOC proposed an alternative - the use of a black armband or ribbon without personalization. To support athletes, a special place of mourning has also been created and access to prayer rooms in the Olympic Villages has been provided," the statement said.

The NOC also announced a press conference with Heraskevych’s participation on Tuesday evening in the center of Cortina d’Ampezzo, near the Olympic rings.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the ban on using the helmet unjust, thanked Heraskevych for his position and stated that he would insist on a review of the IOC decision.

"The helmet of memory cannot be banned; there is nothing political about paying tribute to Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia. These crimes cannot be silenced - just as the truth does not disappear even if you close your eyes to it. We insist on a fair final decision by the IOC," the head of Ukraine’s foreign ministry wrote on X.

Earlier, the IOC stated that the athlete wore the helmet in training and expressed his opinion on social media, but would not be able to do so after the start of competitions on Thursday, in order to avoid political interference in sport.

"We tried to treat his desire with understanding… The IOC fully understands athletes’ desire to honor the memory of friends who died in this conflict," IOC spokesman Mark Adams explained the decision.

According to him, Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter establishes that no form of demonstration or raising of political, religious or racial issues is permitted at sports venues and podiums, although athletes can freely express their opinions in other places. "This helmet contradicts… the recommendations, but… we will make an exception and allow him to wear a black armband during competitions to honor the memory… We believe this is a good compromise in this situation," Adams said.

Heraskevych told Reuters he was dissatisfied that the Ukrainian NOC’s request on his behalf to use the helmet was rejected. "This is unfair treatment… I don’t see any violation of Rule 50. This is not propaganda of discrimination, this is not political propaganda," he said.

As reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed support for Heraskevych, who was banned by the IOC from wearing a helmet with portraits of fallen Ukrainian athletes. He noted that the truth about fallen Ukrainian athletes and their commemoration on Heraskevych’s helmet cannot be inconvenient or inappropriate and should not be regarded as a "political action at sporting events," but rather is a reminder to the world of what modern Russia is.

Heraskevych reported on Instagram that IOC representative Toshio Tsurunaga banned the use of the helmet with images of fallen Ukrainian athletes at official competitions and training sessions, while there was no reaction to other violations of IOC rules, particularly performances by athletes with Russian flags on their helmets. He also added that history knows precedents when sporting achievements were combined with honoring fallen loved ones, but for Ukrainians the IOC applies different rules. He emphasized that despite the ban, the team is not giving up and is preparing an official request to the IOC.

He explained that the helmet is dedicated to fallen Ukrainian athletes and war heroes and emphasized that it would be an honor for him to compete with these images and show the world the price Ukraine pays every day.

The helmet depicts athletes who died in the war, some of whom were Heraskevych’s friends. Among them are weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxers Pavlo Ishchenko and Maksym Halinichev, figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, hockey player Oleksiy Lohinov, biathlete Yevhen Malyshev, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksii Khabarov and Ukrainian sports dance champion Daria Kurdel, as well as children killed by Russian shelling.