A skeleton rider in Ukraine wears a helmet with pictures of people killed in the war

Ukrainian racer Vladislav Heraskevich wore a helmet with images of people killed in the war in his homeland during a training session for the Winter Olympics in Cortina.

Heraskiewicz had promised before the Games to use the event as a platform to draw attention to the conflict.

“Some of them were my friends,” said Heraskevich, who carried a Ukrainian flag at the opening ceremony.

He told Reuters that many of those pictured on his helmet were athletes, including teenage weightlifter Alina Peregodova, boxer Pavlo Ishchenko and ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov.

The 26-year-old said the International Olympic Committee had contacted the Ukrainian Olympic Committee about the helmet.

“It’s still being processed,” said Heraskevich – Ukraine’s first skeleton athlete.

He raised a banner reading “No to war in Ukraine” at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, days before the Russian invasion of the country in 2022.

Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter states: “No political, religious or racist demonstrations or propaganda of any kind are permitted on any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

Heraskevich said he intends to respect Olympic rules prohibiting political demonstrations in stadiums while continuing to raise awareness about the war in Ukraine at the games.

Following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, athletes from Russia and Belarus were largely banned from international sport, but have since begun a gradual return to competition.

The International Olympic Committee has purged 13 athletes from Russia, external To compete as Individual Athletes of Neutrals (AINs) in Milano-Cortina.

BBC Sport has contacted the International Olympic Committee for comment.