'Madness': Ukrainians furious over Olympian ban for memorial helmetVladyslav Heraskevych sliding in the helmet that honoured slain Ukrainian athletes. The IOC had said Heraskevych could instead wear a black armband, but the 27-year-old insisted on competing in his helmet adorned with portraits of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia. "There's nothing apart from pictures of the dead on this helmet," 41-year-old Dmytro Yasenovskyi told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in central Kyiv. Russia's invasion of Ukraine four years ago has left hundreds of Ukrainian athletes dead, officials say, and stirred tensions at a string of international sporting events. "When people sit in such cold, without water, without heating, without electricity, then a helmet is something meaningful," Yasenovskyi said.

Source: Bangkok Post February 12, 2026 15:34 UTC