Skeletonist Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from wearing a helmet with images of deceased Ukrainian athletes at the Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative Toshio Tsurunaga, who is responsible for communication between athletes and IOC, forbade Ukrainian skeletonist Vladyslav Heraskevych from wearing a helmet with images of deceased Ukrainian athletes.

The athlete reported this on Instagram.

Tsurunaga referred to rule 50 of the IOC statutes, which prohibits any political, religious or racial propaganda at competitions.

At the same time, Italian snowboarder Roland Fishnaller was allowed to perform in a helmet with a Russian flag among the flags painted on it, and it is forbidden to display it at the Olympic Games.

President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Heraskevych for reminding the world of the history of Ukrainian wrestling, and he said that he and the team would appeal the IOCʼs decision. They hope that this is the decision of only one representative, and not the entire organization.

• This is not the first time that Vladyslav Heraskevych has made his stance known at the Olympics. In February 2022, two weeks before the full-scale invasion, he held a silent protest with a “No War in Ukraine” sign at the Beijing Games. IOC then spoke to the athlete and his team, telling them that “the field is not the place for statements”.

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