Ukrainian athlete Vladislav Heraskevich, who is competing in skeleton at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, trained again today, despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banning him from doing so, wearing a helmet with photos of those killed in the war with Russia.
Heraskevich came to the Games with a personalized helmet, which featured the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed during the war with Russia, which began a few days after the end of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The IOC announced on Monday evening that it would not allow the 26-year-old athlete to wear the helmet, stating that it is against the rules to express political views in competitions.
Despite this, Heraskewicz trained wearing the helmet on Tuesday and today, knowing that the IOC could ban him from participating in the race.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said before training that talks with the Ukrainian athlete were planned for today.
The IOC offered Heraskevici the opportunity to compete wearing a black armband as an expression of grief and mourning for his compatriots, although such honors are not usually permitted.
Adams said it was a compromise, and Heraskevic said he was not interested.
Bonus video:
