Vladyslav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian skeleton racer who made a helmet with photos of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war with Russia, will defy IOC and even risk disqualification after he was told not to wear the helmet, because it violated IOC's rules that ban all political, religious, or racial demonstrations.
IOC said they tried to address his desire with compassion, and offered him wearing a black armband instead. But on Wednesday, Heraskevych still decided to wear it during training. His first official race will be on Thursday.
"At this point, I would say that a medal is worthless in comparison to people's lives, and I believe, also in comparison to the memory of these athletes", said Heraskevych, knowing that he risks a disqualification, although he defends that his helmet does not violate IOC's rules (via Reuters).
Heraskevych also said that there would be no time to make a new helmet anyway. "With skeleton decided by hundredths of a second, the margins are extremely small. I only have this model of helmet made specifically for me and another helmet would not fit the same" he said.
Meanwhile, the IOC once again on Wednesday urged the 27-year-old Ukrainian to change his mind. "We will contact the athlete today and we will reiterate the many, many opportunities he has to express his grief. We want him to express his grief", IOC's spokesperson Mark Adams said, but added that "for us and the athletes the field of play is sacrosanct. These people have dedicated their whole lives for this moment".
We will see on Thursday if IOC complies with their rules, which would mean the disqualification of Heraskevych, something that could escalate into a diplomatic conflict, as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged and thanked Heraskevych for reminding the world about the war.