IOC threaten to disqualify Winter Olympics star over controversial helmet | Other | Sport
Vladyslav Heraskevych’s choice of skeleton helmet is proving controversial (Image: Getty)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have threatened to disqualify a Winter Olympics athlete over a controversial helmet that he is refusing to take off. Vladyslav Heraskevych, the flag bearer for Ukraine at last week’s opening ceremony, has been competing in the men’s skeleton at Milan-Cortina. However, he has been making headlines away from the track after ignoring an order to change his helmet.
Heraskevych has been wearing a ‘helmet of memory’, featuring images of Ukrainians who have been killed since Russia invaded the country in 2022. It caught the eye during a recent training session, prompting the IOC to warn him that he was in breach of the rules against political messaging. However, the 27-year-old ignored that warning and wore the helmet again on Tuesday night.
Now, the IOC have gone a step further by ordering Heraskevych to ditch the helmet ahead of Thursday’s skeleton heats or risk disqualification.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said on Wednesday: “We will contact the athlete today, we will reiterate the many, many opportunities that he has to express his grief.
“As we discussed before, he can do so on social media, in the press conferences, in the mixed zone. So we will try to talk to him about that, try to convince him. We want him to compete. We really, really want him to have his moment. That’s very, very important.
“The athlete guidelines are online, they were agreed by 4,500 athletes and the input of many athlete commissions. This is what the athletes want. They want that specific moment on the field of play to be free from any distraction.
“He can, and we would encourage him, to express his grief. We feel his grief. We would expressly want him to do that but, you know, in the end let me be clear. It’s not the message, it’s the palace that counts.”
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The helmet features images of Ukrainians who have been killed in the war (Image: Getty)
Alluding to a potential disqualification, Adams added: “Obviously, there are rules and regulations, and without belabouring the point, there are rules and regulations that the athletes themselves want us to enforce, and they will ultimately be enforced.”
The IOC’s response has angered Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Heraskevych is so far refusing to bow to their demands, saying: “We’ll continue to fight for the right to compete in this helmet.”
Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter calls for the “protection of neutrality of sport” and states: “No demonstration of political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympics sites, venues or other areas.”
It adds that any disciplinary sanction “will be proportionate to the level of disruption and the degree to which the infraction is not compatible with the Olympics values.”
It remains to be seen if Heraskevych will wear the ‘helmet of memory’ when the skeleton competition begins on Thursday, knowing that doing so would put himself at risk of significant consequences.
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