The Ukrainian athlete was allowed to honor the memory of fallen athletes, but was not allowed to use a "helmet of memory" for this purpose.
The International Olympic Committee has allowed Ukrainian skeleton racer and flag bearer Vladyslav Heraskevych to honor the memory of fallen athletes, but has not allowed him to use a "memory helmet" for this purpose at the XXV Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina. This is reported by UNN with reference to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
Details
The IOC emphasized that athletes' equipment must remain neutral and not contain political or other messages, as stipulated by the Olympic Charter.
At the same time, an alternative was offered to Heraskevych: to wear a black armband or ribbon without inscriptions. In addition, special places of mourning and prayer rooms for participants have been set up at the Games.
Recall
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the ban on Vladyslav Heraskevych using a "special" helmet at the 2026 Olympics. The head of state emphasized that such actions are critically important for conveying the truth to a global audience.
The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine appealed to the International Olympic Committee with a request to allow Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych to compete at the XXV Winter Olympic Games in 2026.
At the same time, the Center for Countering Disinformation recorded the continuation of the information campaign against Ukrainians amid the Olympic Games in Italy. They reported that Russian propagandists spread a fake TV story, disguised as material from the Canadian television company CBC, claiming "inadequate behavior" of Ukrainian athletes.
UNN also reported that while Italian snowboarder Roland Fischnaller competed at the 2026 Olympics in a helmet with the Russian tricolor, the IOC did not take disciplinary action against him.
