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The International Olympic Committee connected Tuesday (February 10, 2026) said a Ukrainian skeleton racer could deterioration a achromatic armband astatine the Winter Olympics but confirmed it had banned his helmet that features Ukrainian sportspeople killed successful the warfare with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had defended Vladyslav Heraskevych’s close to deterioration the helmet, which carries pictures of dormant Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russia invaded Ukraine successful 2022, astatine the Milan-Cortina Games.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said connected Tuesday (February 10, 2026) the helmet contravened guidelines astir governmental symbols astatine the Olympics but said it would “make an objection to the guidelines to let him to deterioration a achromatic armband during contention to marque that commemoration”.
Gestures of a governmental quality during contention person been forbidden since 2021 nether nonfiction 50 of the Olympic Charter, though athletes are permitted to explicit their views successful property conferences and connected societal media.
Mr. Adams added: “I deliberation what we’ve tried to bash is to code his desires with compassion and understanding.
“We volition not halt him expressing himself successful property conferences, arsenic helium leaves competition, successful the mixed portion (where competitors speech to journalists) and elsewhere, and we consciousness that this is simply a bully compromise successful the situation.”
Mr. Heraskevych, who was 1 of Ukraine’s 2 emblem bearers successful the opening ceremonial of the Games, said the determination to prohibition his helmet “simply breaks my heart”.
Mr. Zelenskyy had thanked Mr. Heraskevych “for reminding the satellite of the terms of our struggle”.
“This information cannot beryllium inconvenient, inappropriate oregon called a ‘political objection astatine a sporting event.’ It is simply a reminder to the full satellite of what modern Russia is,” the president added.
Ukrainian Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi told AFP this period that Russia has killed “more than 650 athletes and coaches” since it invaded Ukraine successful 2022, according to the latest data.
