A Ukrainian skeleton racer has accused the International Olympic Committee of “betrayal” after it banned his racing helmet, which showed images of athletes and his friends that were killed following Russia’s invasion, from the Winter Olympics.
On Tuesday morning, Ukraine launched an appeal against the decision, arguing that Vladyslav Heraskevych should be allowed to use his “helmet of memory”, showing the weightlifter Alina Peregudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov at the Winter Olympics.
However, in messages posted to social media late on Tuesday and on Wednesday, Heraskevych made clear his frustration with the IOC’s stance. “A decision that simply breaks my heart,” he wrote. “The feeling that the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement, not allowing them to be honoured on the sports arena where these athletes will never be able to step again.”
Heraskevych, Ukraine’s first skeleton athlete, also posted a picture of him holding up a “No War in Ukraine” sign at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, days before Russia’s 2022 invasion of the country.
“Unfortunately, over these years this call for peace has only become even more relevant,” he said. “Also over these four years, the IOC has changed dramatically. Back then, in that action, they saw a call for peace and did not apply any sanctions against me.
“Now, at the Olympics, we have already seen a large number of Russian flags in the stands, on the helmet of one of the athletes – and for the IOC, this is not a violation. Yet a violation was found in the ‘helmet of memory’, which pays tribute to members of the Ukrainian sports family who have been killed since the last Olympic Games were held. The truth is on our side. I hope for a fair final decision from the IOC.”
The IOC is yet to confirm publicly if it has banned the helmet, however Heraskevych said Toshio Tsurunaga, the IOC representative in charge of communications with athletes, had been to the athletes’ village to tell him.
Heraskevych said it was because of rule 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”.
In a statement the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine insisted it was not making a political gesture with the helmet. “The helmet was created to honour Ukrainian athletes who died defending Ukraine or became victims of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine,” it said. “The NOC of Ukraine states that it fully complies with the security requirements and rules of the IOC, does not contain advertising, political slogans or discriminatory elements and has been confirmed as such as meeting established norms during official training.”
“In the context of the ongoing full-scale war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, such a step is an important sign of recognition of the memory of Ukrainian athletes and the support of the Ukrainian nation!”
The IOC has cleared 13 athletes from Russia to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) in Milan-Cortina.
The Guardian has approached the IOC for comment.
