KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been barred from competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics following his refusal to stop wearing a specially designed helmet memorializing Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The helmet, painted by Kyiv-based artist Iryna Prots, features detailed portraits of more than 20 individuals from Ukraine’s sporting community who lost their lives during the conflict. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) deemed the helmet in violation of regulations prohibiting political statements at the Games.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Prots praised Heraskevych’s decision to prioritize honoring the deceased over Olympic participation, calling it “a great act of heroism.”
“He could have refused. He could have said, ‘Fine, I’ll wear another helmet and fight for a medal,’” Prots stated. “But he didn’t. To stand up for his truth—that is great heroism.”
The project was a personal departure for Prots, who typically paints Tuscan landscapes exhibited in Italy. She expressed frustration at what she perceives as a lack of awareness among Europeans regarding the ongoing realities of the war.
“I understand that when a war is somewhere far away, people get used to it,” she remarked. “They have their own lives. But we are fighting every day. Fighting to survive.”
Prots described the emotional intensity of creating the helmet, working from photographs of the fallen. “This is pain—pain for our country,” she shared. “For the fact that we lost Olympic champions, essentially, and coaches who were raising this generation of Olympic champions.”
She also questioned the continuation of international sporting events like the Olympics while conflict persists. “The Olympics are supposed to symbolize peace,” Prots noted. “But today it’s hard for me to understand how there is celebration, anthems, dancing and singing, while we live under air raid sirens and bombs.”
Despite ongoing air attacks on Kyiv, Prots continues to paint, viewing her art as an act of resilience. “I keep painting beauty and nature,” she said. “It’s a form of resistance of my soul—believing that peace will return.”