Skeleton-Ukraine's Heraskevych displays images of athletes killed in war on his helmet

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, ITALY, Feb 9 : Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych raced on Monday at the Milano Cortina Games wearing a helmet bearing images of people killed in the war in Ukraine, delivering on a promise to use the Olympic stage to keep global attention on the conflict.

“Some of them were my friends,” Heraskevych, also his country's flag bearer, told Reuters of the portraits displayed on his helmet.

He named Dmytro Sharpar, a figure skater who was killed during the war two years ago, as well as biathlete Yevhen Malyshev, who died in the war in March 2022, among others.

The 26-year-old, who held up a “No War in Ukraine” sign at the Beijing Olympics days before Russia’s 2022 invasion, had said he intended to respect Olympic rules prohibiting political demonstrations at venues while still ensuring Ukraine’s plight remained visible during the Games.