Memorial helmet honoring fallen teammates banned
IOC rules it a violation of ban on political expression
Instead, exceptional permission granted to wear memorial armband
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned a Ukrainian skeleton athlete from using a 'memorial helmet' prepared to honor teammates killed in the war. However, as a compromise, the IOC has decided to allow him to wear a memorial armband during competition.
Vladyslav Heraskevych of Ukraine's skeleton team. His helmet bears the faces of victims of the Russia-Ukraine war. Reuters Yonhap
On February 10 (Korea time), the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine issued a statement saying, "We have requested the IOC's approval for the use of the 'memorial helmet' of Vladyslav Heraskevych, who is competing in the skeleton event at the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics."
Helmet bearing faces of teammates killed in the war draws attention
Earlier, on February 9, at the Cortina Sliding Centre in Italy, Heraskevych drew attention when he conducted a practice run wearing a helmet bearing images of Ukrainian athletes who were killed in the war with Russia.
After the run, he told Reuters, "Some of the people painted on the helmet were my friends." The helmet bears the faces of teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, ice hockey player Oleksii Lohinov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksii Habarov, and dancer Daria Kurdiel, among others.
Heraskevych stressed that "this is about keeping my promise to maintain attention on the war through the Olympics." He has consistently expressed his intention to continue informing the world about the tragic situation Ukraine is facing during the Olympic period, while complying with Olympic rules that ban political demonstrations inside competition venues.
IOC notifies athlete that memorial helmet is not permitted
However, the IOC informed Heraskevych that he would not be allowed to use the helmet, judging that it violates Article 50, Paragraph 2 of the Olympic Charter, which states that "no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas."
In response to the IOC's decision, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Heraskevych, who prepared the helmet, saying he "showed the world the price of our struggle."
The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine therefore requested approval, stating, "The helmet fully met safety standards and did not contain any advertising, political slogans, or discriminatory elements that would contravene IOC regulations. It was also confirmed during official training that it met the prescribed criteria."
'Armband instead of helmet'...a compromise proposal
In response to the request from the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, the IOC ultimately opted for a 'partial approval.' The IOC announced, "We have decided not to allow the use of the helmet that Heraskevych intended to wear to honor Ukrainian athletes who died in the war with Russia," adding, "Instead, we will allow him to wear a memorial armband during competition."
The IOC explained, "This decision is a compromise," noting, "There have been cases in the past where armbands were prohibited, but we have decided to make an exception in Heraskevych's case only."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
