Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 9, 2026
1 min readLast updated: February 9, 2026
Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych honors war victims by displaying their images on his helmet at the Milano Cortina Games, raising awareness of Ukraine's conflict.
By Julien Pretot
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, ITALY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - 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.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Alison Williams)
A skeleton athlete is a competitor in the winter sport of skeleton, where individuals make timed runs while lying face down on a small sled, navigating a twisting, downhill track.
The Milano Cortina Games refer to the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be hosted in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, featuring various winter sports competitions.
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