Ukrainian to fight for "memory helmet" at Olympics. Who is on it - full list

Photo: Andrew Milligan / PA Images via Getty Images

Skeleton racer Heraskevych placed portraits of Ukrainian athletes who died during the war on his helmet.

He reported that the IOC banned him from both competing and training in this helmet. "A decision that simply breaks my heart," Heraskevych commented on the ban on X.

According to him, after such a decision, it feels like "the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement." He says that the committee does not allow them to be honored in the arena, where these athletes will never be able to compete again. Heraskevych announced that he is preparing an official request to the IOC and will fight for his right to wear this particular helmet.

Vladyslav Heraskevych carried the Ukrainian flag at the opening of the Olympics in Milan.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the story. He thanked the Ukrainian athlete for "reminding the world of the price of our struggle."

"This truth cannot be inconvenient, inappropriate, or called a 'political action at competitions.' It is a reminder to the whole world of what modern Russia is," Zelenskyy noted.

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha added:

"The memory helmet cannot be banned – there is nothing political in honoring Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia. These crimes cannot be silenced. We insist on a fair final decision from the IOC."

"Memory Helmet" and the list of fallen

Vladyslav Heraskevych previously spoke about his "memory helmet" in an interview with "Suspilne". It depicts images of some athletes who have died over the past four years during Russia's invasion.

"Some of them were members of the Olympic movement, the Olympic family; some were just children caught in Russian shelling. These were people who were closely connected to sports their whole lives, cheered for us, were our friends," said the Ukrainian skeleton racer.

"Some of them were my friends," Heraskevych added.

In a comment to Tribuna.com, he provided a named list of all the people whose memory he wanted to honor:

• Dmytro Sharpar — figure skater, silver medalist of the Ukrainian championship, participant of the 2016 Youth Olympic Games; died in battles near Bakhmut in January 2023.

• Pavlo Ishchenko — four-time champion of Ukraine in all-around, world and European powerlifting champion; died during a combat mission in 2025.

• Maksym Halinichev — boxer, medalist of the Youth Olympic Games, European youth champion; died in March 2023 in Luhansk region.

• Yevhen Malyshev — 19-year-old biathlete, participant of the 2020 Youth Olympic Games; died in battles for Kharkiv in March 2022.

• Andriy Kutsenko — multiple champion of Ukraine in cycling, volunteer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; died in July 2024.

• Oleksiy Loginov — hockey player, goalkeeper for "Bilyi Bars"; died in Luhansk region in 2023.

• Karyna Bakhur — champion of Ukraine and Europe in kickboxing; died during Russian shelling of Kharkiv region in 2025.

• Mykyta Kazubenko — Master of Sports of Ukraine in diving, coach; died in 2025 while serving in the National Guard.

• Roman Polishchuk — track and field athlete (high jump), serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; died in March 2023.

• Andriy Yeremenko — Greco-Roman wrestler, multiple medalist of Ukrainian championships; died in December 2025.

• Taras Shpuk — coach of the "Invictus Games" veteran team; died at the front in September 2025.

• Fedir Yepifanov — fencer, Master of Sports of Ukraine, participant of the World Cadets Championship; died at the front in 2023.

• Kateryna Troian — track and field athlete, servicewoman of the 82nd Airmobile Brigade; died in June 2025.

• Volodymyr Androshchuk — track and field athlete, participant of European youth championships; died in battles near Bakhmut in 2023.

• Oleksiy Khabarov — international master of sports in shooting, coach; died in 2025 in Donetsk region.

• Daria Kurdel — 20-year-old dancer, medalist of international tournaments; died as a result of shelling in Kryvyi Rih in 2022.

• Ivan Kononenko — weightlifter, actor, officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; died in 2025.

• Alina Perehudova — 14-year-old weightlifter, candidate for the Ukrainian national team; died during the shelling of Mariupol.

• Karyna Diachenko — 11-year-old gymnast; died with her family in Mariupol in 2022.

• Viktoriia Ivashko — 9-year-old judoka; died during the shelling of Kyiv in 2023.

• Mariia Lebed — 15-year-old dancer; died during a missile strike on Dnipro in 2023.

• Nazar Zuy — young boxer and footballer; died with his parents in Mariupol in 2022.

Павялічыць

Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images

Black armband offered instead of helmet

The IOC explained that the helmet ban is related to the rules of the Olympic Charter.

"Rule 50.2 prohibits any demonstrations or political, religious or racial propaganda on Olympic sites," said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams. He added that the organization had been in dialogue with the athlete from the very beginning and was looking for a compromise solution.

"We fully understand the desire of athletes to honor the memory of those who died in the war in Ukraine and in other conflicts around the world. But we must focus on sport and results, ensure equal rights for all athletes and keep the field of competition free from any interference," Adams noted.

According to him, the IOC concluded that the use of a helmet with portraits of the fallen contradicts the current rules.

"We informed him that this helmet violates the rules. At the same time, we allowed Vladyslav Heraskevych to use a black armband without text during competitions. He has already expressed his position on social networks, and we consider this a reasonable compromise," added the IOC representative.

The IOC also emphasized that athletes from over 90 countries participate in the Games, and each of them may have their own reasons for honoring memory, so the organization is forced to "maintain a delicate balance."

Vladyslav Heraskevych is not using the Olympic Games as a platform to remind the world about Russia's war against Ukraine for the first time.

At the Beijing Games in 2022, he staged a "silent protest" with a "No War in Ukraine" poster – a few days before the start of the full-scale invasion.

Skeleton qualification will take place on Thursday at the Olympics, with finals on Friday.

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