“Helmet of Memory” by Heraskevych meets safety requirements and regulations – NOC

Ukrainian Olympian Attempts to Compete in a Memory Helmet with Portraits of Fallen Athletes

The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine has reached out to the International Olympic Committee, requesting permission for Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych to compete in the Winter Olympics-2026 in a special helmet featuring images of fallen athletes.

Currently, the Ukrainian Olympic Committee emphasizes that this “memory helmet” fully complies with safety requirements and rules established by the IOC. The helmet does not contain advertising materials, political slogans, or discriminatory elements. The committee hopes for a fair and impartial decision from the IOC, as allowing the use of this helmet would be an important recognition of the memory of fallen Ukrainian athletes and support for the Ukrainian nation amid Russian aggression.

It should be noted that the Winter Olympics-2026, which started on February 6, is taking place in the Italian cities of Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan, as well as other locations in northern Italy. It is already known that one of the IOC officials prohibited the use of helmets with such images, which sparked outrage from the Ukrainian delegation.

Zhan Beleniuk, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and an Olympic champion, expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation, as athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to compete under national symbols. He invited IOC representatives to visit Ukraine to see firsthand the conditions under which Ukrainian athletes train under fire and without basic living conditions.