Skeletonist Vladyslav Geraskevych, who carried the country's flag at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics, paid tribute to fallen Ukrainian athletes. At an official training session on February 9, he performed in a helmet with photos of our athletes who died as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The 27-year-old athlete called it a “helmet of memory” and noted that some of them were his friends.
Vladyslav Geraskevych
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“This is a special helmet. It depicts some athletes who have died in the last four years. Some of them were members of the Olympic movement and families. There are also just children who came under Russian shelling. They were connected to sports all their lives, they cheered for us, we were friends,” says Vladyslav Geraskevych.
Vladyslav Geraskevych
The athlete also noted in an interview with “Suspilne.Sport” that he has already received comments from the International Olympic Committee and does not yet know whether he will be allowed to wear this helmet to the official start. “There are certain problems with the helmet. We will not show it for now – I hope everything will become clear in the coming days. There are comments, we are currently coordinating and clarifying this issue,” he explained.
The helmet was designed by artist Iryna Prots, who managed to complete the work despite constant shelling and power outages in Kyiv. The first competitions with the participation of Vladyslav Geraskevych at the 2026 Olympics will be held on February 12 at 10:30.
Vladyslav Geraskevych
Recall that, according to the National Olympic Committee, more than three thousand representatives of the sports industry stood up to defend Ukraine, and more than 600 died.
Photo: Getty Images