Ukrainian skeleton athlete urged by IOC to ditch helmet protest or face Olympics ban

<ul><li><p>Heraskevych faces potential disqualification</p></li><li><p>Athlete calls situation ‘theater of the absurd’</p></li></ul><p>The Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been warned that he faces disqualification from the Winter Olympics if he wears <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/09/ukraine-vladyslav-heraskevych-displays-images-athletes-killed-in-war-helmet-winter-olympics">a “helmet of memory” for his country’s war dead</a> when the men’s competition starts on Thursday.</p><p>Heraskevych has continued to practise in the helmet, which shows 20 images of athletes and children killed since Russia’s invasion, despite the IOC banning it on Monday. In a post on X, published on Wednesday, Heraskevych indicated that he has no intention of backing down and called on the IOC to approve his helmet for the competition.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/11/ukrainian-skeleton-athlete-helmet-protest-winter-olympics-ban">Continue reading...</a>