In one of the most powerful images of the games so far, a Ukrainian Winter Olympics athlete wore a specially-made helmet embellished with images of fellow athletes killed during the war with Russia
Skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych wore the helmet during training on Monday, after vowing to keep attention on the Ukraine-Russia conflict at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
On his helmet were boxer Pavlo Ischenko, weightlifter Alina Perehudova, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov, diving athlete and coach Mykyta Kozubenko and dancer Daria Kurdel.
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However, Heraskevych says the helmet will be banned for formal competition by the IOC. “It’s because of Rule 50,” he said.
Political demonstrations are prohibited at the Olympic Games, with rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter stating: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
In 2022 at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Heraskevych held up a sign saying “No War in Ukraine” just days before Russia’s invasion of his country.
He has recently said he intends to respect Olympic rules against political demonstrations, but wants to keep Ukraine’s situation visible during these Olympics.
Russian and Belarusian athletes were largely barred from international sport in 2022 after Russia’s invasion, but some athletes have retuned to competition since.