IOC allows Ukrainian athlete to wear black armband, but bans helmet honoring fallen athletes‎

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych will be allowed to wear a black armband in competition at the Milan Cortina Games, the International Olympic Committee said Tuesday, but not the helmet he wanted to commemorate the lives of some athletes from his country who were killed in the war with Russia. “I think what we’ve tried to do is to address his desires with compassion and understanding,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Tuesday. Heraskevych said the IOC told him Monday night that he could not wear the helmet that shows the faces of several Ukrainian athletes who have been killed since 2022, because Olympic officials decided it broke the rule banning political statements.