Ukrainian Skeleton Athlete Defies IOC Ban on Memorial Helmet

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, 27, has declared he will wear his "memorial helmet" at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics despite a ban by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Heraskevych held a press conference on Jan. 11 near the Cortina Sliding Centre in Italy, with the Olympic rings visible in the background. "The sacrifices of fallen athletes allowed us to compete here as one team," he said. "I cannot betray them."

The athlete drew attention recently by wearing a helmet bearing images of 24 Ukrainian athletes killed in the ongoing war with Russia during practice runs.

Heraskevych expressed strong determination to compete while wearing the memorial helmet. "I believe the victims deserve to be with me on competition day. I wore the memorial helmet during yesterday's training, today's training, and I will wear it on competition day," he said. "This should be the time to focus on improving my performance on the track, but instead I am fighting for the right to wear this memorial helmet."

He added that he was keeping his promise to sustain attention on the war through the Olympics.

However, the IOC ruled that Heraskevych's helmet violates Article 50.2 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." The IOC offered a compromise, saying it would not oppose him wearing a memorial armband. Heraskevych made clear he would not accept even this alternative.