SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
A skeleton sled racer from Ukraine was disqualified from the Winter Olympics in Italy this morning after he insisted on wearing a controversial helmet. It was painted with images of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia in the war. Vladyslav Heraskevych described the helmet as a memorial, but Olympic officials say it violated rules that prohibit political speech by athletes during competition. The case has drawn huge attention in Ukraine. And to talk about it, we are joined by NPR's Brian Mann, who is at the Milan Cortina Games, and Eleanor Beardsley, who is in Kyiv, Ukraine. Hi to both of you.
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Hello.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Hey there, Scott.
DETROW: Brian, let's start with you. How did we get to this point where a Ukrainian athlete was DQ'd (ph) for a helmet?
MANN: Yeah. Vladyslav Heraskevych from Kyiv is one of the fastest skeleton racers in the world. This is a sport where these athletes rocket down an icy track headfirst on tiny sleds. So, Scott, he showed up at the sled track in Cortina d'Ampezzo with this special helmet painted with images of athletes killed after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. He describes it as a memorial. He says it's not political, but the International Olympic Committee ruled on Monday that it violates a ban on political expression on the field of play.
After that ruling, this escalated really fast. When Heraskevych said he would keep racing with the helmet, he was disqualified. He was prevented from racing earlier today, so his Olympics are over. This was raised to such a level that the head of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, says she met with Heraskevych to try to reach some kind of compromise. When that didn't work, she released a statement on Instagram, sounding agonized by the IOC's decision.
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KIRSTY COVENTRY: We have these rules in place to try and be fair and also to try and allow for us to do both things - right? - to allow for athletes to express themselves but also to allow for athletes to be safe.
MANN: Now, what the IOC is saying is that if every athlete from conflict zones or countries facing war or political turmoil began expressing political messages while sledding or skating or skiing, the neutral tone of the Games would unravel.
DETROW: Now, what is Heraskevych saying about this?
MANN: Today, he issued his own statement. He posted a video on Instagram recorded in front of the Olympic rings in Cortina.
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VLADYSLAV HERASKEVYCH: (Non-English language spoken).
MANN: He says, "we are convinced that honoring the memory of the dead is not political propaganda, but a fundamental humanitarian and moral gesture." He went on to say, "the memory of fallen athletes, coaches, civilians and defenders of Ukraine cannot and should not be considered a political demonstration."
One more thing, Scott, he's argued that his disqualification is also unfair because other athletes have at times been allowed to carry images of sorrow - photographs of dead family members, for example - out on the field of play. So he says this punishment is a double standard.
DETROW: So that's what's happening at the Olympics in Italy. Eleanor, how is this all playing out in Ukraine?
BEARDSLEY: Well, Scott, it's created a groundswell of solidarity and pride around Heraskevych and the Ukrainian team, and also anger at the IOC. Social media is exploding with support for Heraskevych. We even see soldiers posting pictures of themselves from the front line. They've wrapped tape around their gloves and written remembrance is not a violation.
President Zelenskyy hailed the young Olympian's courage, which he said is about more than having medals. But he said he would be actually giving Heraskevych the Order of Freedom medal once he's back in Ukraine. And Zelenskyy said it's not Heraskevych who is violating Olympic rules, but Russia. He reminded the world of how he said Russia constantly uses the time of the Olympics for war. There was the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, the occupation of Crimea in 2014, and in 2022, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, all years with Olympic Games.
And Zelenskyy also said Russia had completely disregarded calls for a ceasefire during the Winter Games. He said the Kremlin has increased missile and drone strikes on cities and energy infrastructure in one of the coldest winters in years. Have a listen to what Kyiv sounded like at 3 a.m. this morning.
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DETROW: That's from today?
BEARDSLEY: That is from today. We had about two hours of missile and drone attacks with the air defenses trying to intercept them. You know, this is the Ukrainians' reality, and they say it has nothing to do with politics. They're fighting for their existence. And I was actually out tonight in the slushy cold streets, and I spoke about Heraskevych with 19-year-old student Alex Storozhenko, and here's what he said.
ALEX STOROZHENKO: He's becoming for us a hero that wanted other people to pay attention on us, pay attention to our war and to help us because people are suffering. Soldiers are suffering. They are dying on front line. He just wanted that people hear us and help us.
DETROW: Now, Brian, I want to go back to you. OK. So Heraskevych is out of the Games. You mentioned Russian athletes but that they're not competing for Russia, which has been the case the last few Olympics. Remind us what the status is of Russian athletes at the Games right now.
MANN: Yeah. Scott, Russia was a winter sport powerhouse as recently as the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. But after the full-scale invasion, the IOC imposed really strict restrictions. There's no Russian flag here, no Russian anthem played. And any athletes with ties to the military or who express support for Russia's invasion, they're banned from competition. As a result, only 13 Russian athletes were allowed to compete down from more than 200 four years ago. So even before this flashpoint, the Russian invasion and its fallout really reshaped these Winter Games.
DETROW: That was NPR's Brian Mann in Italy and Eleanor Beardsley talking to us from Kyiv. Thanks so much to both of you.
BEARDSLEY: You're welcome.
MANN: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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