Ukrainian skeleton competitor (a type of bobsleigh) Vladislav Geraskevich said that an International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative told him that he was prohibited from wearing a helmet with images of athletes killed in the war in Ukraine during the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Geraskevich said that Toshio Tsurunaga, an IOC representative responsible for communication between athletes, national Olympic committees and the IOC, went to the Olympic Village to tell him this.
“He said the reason was rule 50“, he said Geraskevych.
Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter states: “No demonstrations or propaganda of a political, religious or racial nature shall be permitted in Olympic venues, facilities and other areas“.
Geraskevych said the helmet he used during training for the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games would likely have to be replaced.
The IOC had previously said it had not received an official request from the Ukrainian Olympic Committee to use the helmet during the competitions, which begin on February 12.
Geraskevych, who held up a banner reading “No to the War in Ukraine“ at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, days before the Russian invasion began, said he intended to abide by Olympic rules, but at the same time would make sure that Ukraine's fate remained visible during the Olympics.