IOC urges Ukrainian racer to compete amid row over banned war victim helmet

By Anita Chambers, Press Association

The International Olympic Committee says it wants Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych to race as it seeks to resolve the issue over his helmet that features pictures of people who have been killed in the war with Russia.

The IOC has said the helmet is in contravention of the rules and instead offered a compromise of allowing Heraskevych to wear a black armband when the competition gets underway on Thursday.

Heraskevych has been using the helmet in training and insisted on Tuesday that he will not change his position.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams would not be drawn on the possible sanctions the organisation could impose if he maintains that stance.

He said: “I don’t think it is helpful to look at hypotheticals, particularly since we are trying to get him to a place where he takes part.

“We want him to compete so it is not helpful. But there are rules and regulations, without labouring the point, they are rules and regulations athletes themselves want us to enforce. They will ultimately be enforced.

“It would be an IOC matter.”

Adams added the IOC remains in discussion with Heraskevych, saying: “We will contact the athlete today and we will reiterate the many, many opportunities he has to express his grief.

“As we have discussed before, he can do so on social media, in press conferences and mixed zone.

“We will try to talk to him about that, try to convince him. We want him to compete and have his moment, that’s very important to us. We want every athlete to have their moment.

“The guidelines were agreed by 4,500 athletes and the input of many our of athletes’ commissions, that is what they want. They want that specific moment on the field of play to be free from any distraction.

“We feel his grief and want him to express it, but let me be clear, it is not the message (that’s the issue), it is the place that counts.

“That is it for us and it’s the message the athletes have reiterated to us time and again. There are 130 conflicts in the world and we cannot have them all featured – however terrible – in the field of play during the competition.

“We beg him, we want him to compete.”