US EditionUkrainian Skeleton Racer Defies IOC Ban on Memorial Helmet
Heraskevych will defy IOC rules to honor Ukrainian athletes killed in the war, highlighting ongoing conflict and hardship during a harsh winter, with the IOC allowing only a mourning armband.
- On Tuesday, Ukrainian sled racer Vladyslav Heraskevych said he will wear a helmet honoring fallen athletes despite the IOC ban, stating, `We will continue to fight for the right to compete in this helmet.`
- Arriving in Italy to raise awareness, Heraskevych finished fourth at last year's world championships amid Russia's full-scale invasion beginning February 2022.
- At a press conference, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said officials must focus on athletes' performance and offered Heraskevych a black armband, which he described as inadequate.
- The development puts a timetable on the dispute as skeleton sled training begins on Wednesday at Cortina d'Ampezzo track, Italy, with competition on Thursday and Friday.
- Broader context includes IOC restrictions on Russian participation, noting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote `This truth cannot be inconvenient, inappropriate, or called a 'political demonstration at a sporting event,'` while the IOC approved only thirteen Russian athletes this year.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Ukrainian skeleton competitor Vladislav Herashkevich is wearing a helmet with images of Ukrainian athletes who died in the war, despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banning it, the BBC reports. "These athletes deserve to be on the track," said Herashkevich. The IOC said the helmet violated Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits all political demonstrations at Olympic venues. The committee recommended that Herashkevich wea…
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Olympic officials banned his helmet. He’ll wear it anyway
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych told CNN’s Amanda Davies he plans to compete in a helmet honoring 24 Ukrainian athletes killed in the war with Russia — despite an International Olympic Committee ban. The IOC said Tuesday he cannot wear the helmet in competition, citing rules that prohibit political statements on the field of play. Officials suggested he could instead wear a black armband, something Heraskevych says doesn’t do ju…
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