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The Olympics tend to feature many athletes from countries that aren’t on the best of terms on the geopolitical stage, but they are largely expected to put their differences aside during the gathering. They also have to abide by the rules the International Olympic Committee has put in place to promote neutrality, and those restrictions have led to one competitor from Ukraine being banned from wearing a helmet honoring victims of the country’s ongoing war in Russia.
The 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer marked the first time Russia competed at the international showdown as an independent nation in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union. It hosted them for the first time when the Winter Games were held in Sochi in 2014, but athletes have not been permitted to officially represent the country since the Summer Olympics unfolded in Rio in 2016.
A massive state-sponsored doping scandal meant the natives who earned the right to compete in PyeongChang in 2018 were officially classified as “Olympic Athletes from Russia.”
The flag and anthem were also banned in Tokyo and Beijing, where the group was known as the “Russian Olympic Committee,” and participation has been limited to “Individual Neutral Athletes” since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022.
One Ukrainian athlete headed to Milano Cortina hoping to honor some of the victims of the ongoing war, but they will not be permitted to do so after the IOC targeted the helmet they were planning on wearing.
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych will not be allowed to wear a helmet honoring athletes who have been killed during the country’s war with Russia
13 athletes from Russia are competing under the neutral banner at the 2026 Winter Olympics (Belarus, which is also banned for assisting the invasion, has seven). Ukraine, on the other hand, sent 46 competitors to Italy, including Vladyslav Heraskevych, the men’s skeleton racer who is competing for the third time and served as a flag bearer in the Opening Ceremony.
In 2022, Heraskevych held up a sign that read “No War In Ukraine” after his final run en route to finishing in 18th place out of 25 competitors. He was subjected to scrutiny over a potential violation of the Olympic Charter, which forbids any “kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” during The Games, but the IOC ultimately ruled it could be classified as a “general call for peace.”
However, according to The Athletic, it does not feel the same way about the helmet Heraskevych was seen sporting during his training runs, which featured photos of Ukrainian athletes who have been killed in the war, including figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, biathlete Yevhen Malyshev, and hockey player Oleksiy Loginov.
On Monday, he voiced his displeasure with the IOC after he was informed he will not be allowed to wear the helmet while competing, with a spokesperson saying the decision stemmed from the belief that the Olympics should be “separated from not just political and religious topics, but all types of interference so that all athletes can concentrate on performance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced his support for Heraskevych, who will be permitted to wear a black armband when the skeleton competition officially gets underway. If you’re curious, there will not be any athletes from Russia competing in the event, which will kick off when the first two heats are held on February 12th.