By Julien Pretot and Karolos Grohmann
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ITALY, Feb 10 (Reuters) – Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych will not be allowed to wear a “helmet of remembrance” in honour of those killed in the war with Russia in the skeleton competition at the Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s Olympic Committee had earlier made a request for Heraskevych to be able to wear the helmet, which features images of Ukrainian athletes killed in the conflict with Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of their country.
“The IOC fully understands the desire of athletes to remember friends who lost their lives in that conflict,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference on Tuesday.
“He has done that in training and on social media he has expressed his feelings but what we have said is this helmet contravenes the … guidelines.”
Adams said the IOC would make an exception to the guidelines and allow Heraskevych to wear a plain black armband in competition.
“We feel this is a good compromise,” he added.
Heraskevych felt otherwise.
“It’s unfair treatment,” he told Reuters. “I don’t see any violation of rule 50. It is not discrimination propaganda, it is not political propaganda.”
FIELD OF PLAY MUST STAY NEUTRAL
Adams, however, said the field of play needed to remain as neutral as possible.
“There are rules understood by all NOCs. People can make a request for exception but there has to be a good reason. Where there is a good reason it will be considered.
“We need to keep that specific moment (on the field of play) as pure as we can for the competition. People can express themselves however they want to elsewhere,” he explained.
Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter states: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
“People will always try to push rules to their limit. In terms of free speech all the athletes are totally free to say their views on whatever issue on social media,” added Adams.
“That’s why we have to have strict rules and that’s why slogans are not allowed. We have evolved with the athletes guidelines. (In) times and Games past people were refused (permission) to even wear an armband.”
HELMET CREATED TO HONOUR WAR VICTIMS
Heraskevych said on Monday that a representative of the IOC had told him he could not use the helmet, which he had been wearing in training.
More training was scheduled for later on Tuesday with competition starting on Thursday.
“The helmet was created to honour Ukrainian athletes killed while defending Ukraine or who became victims of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Olympic Committee said in a statement.
“The NOC of Ukraine emphasises that it fully complies with safety requirements and IOC rules, does not contain advertising, political slogans, or discriminatory elements, and was confirmed as meeting the established standards during official training sessions.”
HONOURING SLAIN FRIENDS
The helmet depicts various athletes killed in the war – some of whom were Heraskevych’s friends.
Heraskevych told Reuters the helmet shows teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ischenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov and dancer Daria Kurdel.
Heraskevych, who held up a “No War in Ukraine” sign at Beijing 2022 days before Russia’s invasion, had said he intended to respect Olympic rules prohibiting political demonstrations at venues while still ensuring Ukraine’s plight remained visible during the Games.
Following Moscow’s invasion, athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus were largely barred from international sport but the IOC has since backed their gradual return under strict conditions.
Moscow and Minsk say sport should remain separate from international conflicts.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot and Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Ken Ferris)
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