2026 Olympics: NOC calls on IOC to allow commemoration of fallen athletes
Фото: Reuters
The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine has asked the International Olympic Committee to allow Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Geraskevych to compete at the 2026 Olympics in a special “memory helmet.”
This is stated in the relevant NOC post.
“The helmet was created to honor Ukrainian athletes who died defending Ukraine or became victims of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The NOC of Ukraine emphasizes that it fully complies with safety requirements and IOC rules, does not contain advertising, political slogans or discriminatory elements, and was confirmed as meeting established standards during official training,” the post says.
The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine expressed hope for a fair, objective and impartial decision by the IOC.
“In the context of the ongoing full-scale war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, such a step is an important sign of recognition of the memory of Ukrainian athletes and support for the Ukrainian nation,” the Olympic Committee emphasized.
It should be noted that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the situation with the ban on wearing the “memory helmet”. He thanked Geraskevych for his position.
“This truth cannot be inconvenient, inappropriate, or called ‘political action at a sporting event.’ This is a reminder to the whole world of what modern Russia is,” he stressed.
Earlier, the IOC responded to the scandal surrounding a helmet with images of Ukrainians killed in the war.
“To date, the IOC has not received any request from a National Olympic Committee (NOC) regarding an athlete wearing a helmet during competition. Once the application is submitted, the IOC will consider the request,” the response states.
As a reminder, the International Olympic Committee has banned skeleton athlete Vladislav Geraskevych from competing at the Olympic Games in a helmet with the image of Ukrainian athletes who died as a result of the full-scale Russian invasion.
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