Ukrainian Skeleton Slider Banned From Competition Over Helmet Honoring Athletes Killed By Russia

One hour before the start of the men's skeleton event, Ukrainian slider Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from participating, after insisting on wearing a helmet with illustrations of Ukrainian athletes and coaches who were killed in the war following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The helmet was banned days ago under Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter, which reads, "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas."

Heraskevych, Ukraine's sole participant in the skeleton event, continued to wear the helmet during official training sessions and stated his intention to wear it in competition. Before today's competition kicked, IOC President Kirsty Coventry met with Heraskevych and attempted to reach a last-minute compromise over wearing the helmet on the "field of play." Coventry instead suggested that Heraskevych could wear a black armband during the competition and display the helmet afterward.

The nature of skeleton as a sport played a role in the discussion: Skeleton athletes go head-first, but traveling as fast as 75 miles per hour, at which speed it would not be possible to see the designs on Heraskevych's helmet. After Heraskevych's run was over, the faces would be more clearly seen. Coventry and Heraskevych reportedly agreed on this point, which highlights the fundamentally arbitrary distinctions in IOC rules on expression. From Coventry's perspective, there is no point to wearing the helmet if it is indistinguishable during competition. On the other hand, if the helmet is indistinct, then shouldn't it be irrelevant whether or not it is worn?