A Ukrainian skeleton racer has worn a helmet with images of those killed in the war during his training session for the Winter Olympics.
The helmet, which Heraskevych wore during practice sessions in Cortina, Italy, was designed to raise awareness about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The 26-year-old athlete had initially promised before the Games to use the event as a platform to bring attention to the war-torn country.
Heraskevych stated that some of those pictured on his helmet were close friends who had passed away during the conflict, including teenage weightlifter Alina Peregudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, and ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken notice of Heraskevych's helmet but has not yet commented on whether it violated any rules.
Heraskevych had said that he intended to respect the Olympic Charter's rule prohibiting political demonstrations at venues while still raising awareness about the war in Ukraine during the Games.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, athletes from Russia and Belarus were largely banned from international sport. However, there has been a gradual return to competition, with 13 Russian athletes cleared to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) in Milan-Cortina.
The BBC Sport news service has approached the IOC for comment on the helmet incident.
The helmet, which Heraskevych wore during practice sessions in Cortina, Italy, was designed to raise awareness about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The 26-year-old athlete had initially promised before the Games to use the event as a platform to bring attention to the war-torn country.
Heraskevych stated that some of those pictured on his helmet were close friends who had passed away during the conflict, including teenage weightlifter Alina Peregudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, and ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken notice of Heraskevych's helmet but has not yet commented on whether it violated any rules.
Heraskevych had said that he intended to respect the Olympic Charter's rule prohibiting political demonstrations at venues while still raising awareness about the war in Ukraine during the Games.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, athletes from Russia and Belarus were largely banned from international sport. However, there has been a gradual return to competition, with 13 Russian athletes cleared to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) in Milan-Cortina.
The BBC Sport news service has approached the IOC for comment on the helmet incident.
this is either super cool or super insensitive depending how you look at it lol Heraskevych is literally using his platform to honor those who've passed away and raise awareness about Ukraine's situation which I think is amazing 
but also I get why IOC might be a bit hesitant since they gotta follow rules about not having politics in the Olympics, so fingers crossed they won't take it too harshly 
maybe this will spark some change or at least get people talking about what's going on in Ukraine 
and it made me think, have you guys ever been to chile? i went there last year and it was SO beautiful! the mountains are like, whoa 
i ended up taking a detour from my trip to visit a cafe in viña del mar that served the best coffee i've ever had 
️ anyway, back to heraskevych's helmet... i feel kinda bad for him being scrutinized for trying to raise awareness about something so important 
but at the same time, it's not like he was just going to ignore the situation and just show up to the Olympics 
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Also, I was just looking at some vids of ice hockey and I'm pretty sure those helmets are super cool, can someone please tell me what's so special about them? 
The helmet was meant to raise awareness & honor those who lost their lives. 
The IOC's decision on whether it broke rules is yet to be seen, but let's hope they don't silence him! 
On a related note, here's a chart showing Ukraine's decline in global sports participation since the war started: 
2020: 34.6% of Ukrainian athletes competing internationally; 2022: 12.1%. 
. It's a really powerful way to honor the memories of those who have passed away, and raise awareness about the ongoing conflict. I get why the IOC would want to make sure he doesn't break any rules, but at the same time, it feels like athletes should be able to express themselves and share their perspectives during major events.
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and honestly, its kinda inspiring that hes still gonna use his platform to bring attention to whats going on in ukraine 
. hope everything gets sorted out with the IOC soon 
. i guess the IOC can be kinda strict with rules, but this guy just wants to bring attention to the conflict and help his friends who passed away. maybe they'll let it slide? 
its a good thing athletes are speaking out for what they believe in 
It's also really interesting to see how some athletes are starting to use their platforms to make a difference, I'm sure it'll inspire more people to take action too