The athlete, who had already shown a message calling for peace in Ukraine at the 2022 Olympic Games, questions why the Olympic Committee’s stance has changed since then.

A Ukrainian skeleton athlete has accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of “treason” after being told he could not compete wearing a helmet in tribute to dead Ukrainian athletes since the Russian invasion of the country.

Vladyslav Heraskevychthe first Ukrainian skeleton athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, stated that the IOC banned his so-called “memory helmet“, which features images of three Ukrainian sports figures: weightlifter Alina Peregudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko and ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov.

Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) filed an appeal against the decision on Tuesday, arguing that the helmet should be allowed at the Winter Olympics as it does not contain political slogans or advertising. The appeal maintains that the design is a tribute to deceased members of the Ukrainian sporting community, and not a political statement.

Heraskevych expressed his anger and disappointment in social media posts on Tuesday night and Wednesday. “A decision that simply breaks my heart,” he wrote, accusing the IOC of abandoning athletes who were once part of the Olympic movement. “Not allowing them to be honored in the sporting arena where these athletes will never be able to step on.”

The athlete also shared a photo from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, in which he appears holding a sign with the words “No to war in Ukraine”, an action that did not result in sanctions at the time, and questioned the reason for the IOC’s change in approach since then.

“Over these four years, the IOC has changed drastically,” said Heraskevych, who said he also noticed the presence of Russian flags in Olympic venues and on athletes’ equipment, which, according to him, were not treated as violations. “However, a breach was found in the ‘memory helmet,’” he added. “The truth is on our side. I expect a fair final decision from the IOC.”

The IOC has not publicly confirmed the helmet ban. However, Heraskevych stated that Toshio Tsurunaga, the IOC representative responsible for communicating with athletes, personally informed him of the decision at the Olympic Village. According to Heraskevych, the decision was based on Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits political demonstrationsreligious or racial in Olympic venues.

In a statement, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine rejected the allegation that the helmet constituted a political expression, classifying it as a gesture of remembrance and national solidarity in the midst of the ongoing war.

The controversy arises at a time when the IOC approved the participation of 13 Russian athletes in the Milan-Cortina Games as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs). Recently, IOC President Kirsty Coventry also did not close the door on Russia’s return to the competition.

“We understand the politics and we know that we do not operate in isolation. But our goal is sport. This means keep sport as neutral grounda place where all athletes can compete without being harmed by politics or divisions within their governments”, he stated.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino also recently called for an end to the boycott of Russia in football competitions.

The athlete, who had already shown a message calling for peace in Ukraine at the 2022 Olympic Games, questions why the Olympic Committee’s stance has changed since then.

A Ukrainian skeleton athlete has accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of “treason” after being told he could not compete wearing a helmet in tribute to dead Ukrainian athletes since the Russian invasion of the country.

Vladyslav Heraskevychthe first Ukrainian skeleton athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, stated that the IOC banned his so-called “memory helmet“, which features images of three Ukrainian sports figures: weightlifter Alina Peregudova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko and ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov.

Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) filed an appeal against the decision on Tuesday, arguing that the helmet should be allowed at the Winter Olympics as it does not contain political slogans or advertising. The appeal maintains that the design is a tribute to deceased members of the Ukrainian sporting community, and not a political statement.

Heraskevych expressed his anger and disappointment in social media posts on Tuesday night and Wednesday. “A decision that simply breaks my heart,” he wrote, accusing the IOC of abandoning athletes who were once part of the Olympic movement. “Not allowing them to be honored in the sporting arena where these athletes will never be able to step on.”

The athlete also shared a photo from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, in which he appears holding a sign with the words “No to war in Ukraine”, an action that did not result in sanctions at the time, and questioned the reason for the IOC’s change in approach since then.

“Over these four years, the IOC has changed drastically,” said Heraskevych, who said he also noticed the presence of Russian flags in Olympic venues and on athletes’ equipment, which, according to him, were not treated as violations. “However, a breach was found in the ‘memory helmet,’” he added. “The truth is on our side. I expect a fair final decision from the IOC.”

The IOC has not publicly confirmed the helmet ban. However, Heraskevych stated that Toshio Tsurunaga, the IOC representative responsible for communicating with athletes, personally informed him of the decision at the Olympic Village. According to Heraskevych, the decision was based on Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits political demonstrationsreligious or racial in Olympic venues.

In a statement, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine rejected the allegation that the helmet constituted a political expression, classifying it as a gesture of remembrance and national solidarity in the midst of the ongoing war.

The controversy arises at a time when the IOC approved the participation of 13 Russian athletes in the Milan-Cortina Games as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs). Recently, IOC President Kirsty Coventry also did not close the door on Russia’s return to the competition.

“We understand the politics and we know that we do not operate in isolation. But our goal is sport. This means keep sport as neutral grounda place where all athletes can compete without being harmed by politics or divisions within their governments”, he stated.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino also recently called for an end to the boycott of Russia in football competitions.