The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) has continued to place strain on Ukrainian athletes competing on the 2026 Olympic Video games.

Supply: Suspilne Sport, a Ukrainian sports activities TV channel

Particulars: Oleh Handei, a short-track pace skater, is the third athlete to be banned from sporting a helmet with a slogan whereas competing.

Quote from Handei: "I’ve a line from Lina Kostenko on my helmet: 'The place there’s heroism, there isn’t any last defeat'. They banned it, saying it’s a political slogan, that it’s in regards to the battle, that it’s not allowed.

I translated it phrase for phrase for them. No, it’s not a political slogan. These are merely inspirational phrases for me, for my group and for the nation. Why not? They stated no, it’s political and it’s propaganda." [Lina Kostenko is a famous Ukrainian poet, journalist, writer, publisher and former Soviet dissident.]

Extra particulars: Handei was considered one of two Ukrainian short-track skaters to safe a quota place for the 2026 Olympic Video games. After 4 levels of the World Tour, he certified to compete in two occasions in Italy: the five hundred metres and the 1,500 metres.

Background:

• The Worldwide Olympic Committee has barred Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing in a particular helmet that includes portraits of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia. He wore the helmet throughout his first coaching periods on the 2026 Video games. The IOC recommended that he put on a black armband as a substitute.
• The IOC later additionally banned freestyle skier Kateryna Kotsar, who represents Ukraine, from sporting a helmet with the phrases "Be courageous like Ukrainians".

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