Sports
Ukrainian athlete says IOC banned helmet showing those killed in war
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych holds his helmet with images of compatriots killed during the war in Ukraine, at the Milano Cortina Gamesin in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, February 9, 2026. CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych said on Monday a helmet he has used in training at the Milan Cortina Games with images of compatriots killed during the war in Ukraine cannot be used in Olympic competition after being told by the IOC that it violates a rule on political statements.
The helmet, which depicts several athletes killed in the war — some of whom were Heraskevych’s friends — will now likely have to be shelved following a visit from an IOC representative.
Heraskevych, who is his country’s flag bearer at the Games, said Toshio Tsurunaga, the International Olympic Committee representative in charge of communications between athletes, national Olympic committees and the IOC, had gone to the Athletes’ Village to inform him.
“He said it’s because of Rule 50,” Heraskevych told Reuters. Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
The decision to wear the helmet in Milan earned praise from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Writing on Telegram, Zelenskiy thanked Heraskevych “for reminding the world of the price of our struggle.
“This truth cannot be inconvenient, inappropriate, or called a ‘political act at a sporting event.’ It is a reminder to the whole world of what modern Russia is,” Zelenskiy said. “And it is precisely this that reminds everyone of the global role of sports and the historic mission of the Olympic movement — it’s all about peace and for the sake of life. Ukraine remains faithful to this. Russia proves otherwise.”
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Earlier on Monday the IOC said it had not received any official request from the Ukrainian Olympic Committee to use the helmet in competition, which starts on Feb. 12.
“To date, the IOC has not received any request from the NOC (National Olympic Committee) for the athlete to wear the helmet in the competition,” an IOC spokesperson said. “Once a submission is made, the IOC will look at the request.”
Heraskevych told Reuters the helmet depicted teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ischenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov and dancer Daria Kurdel.
Heraskevych, who held up a “No War in Ukraine” sign at the Beijing 2022 Olympics days before Russia’s invasion, had said he intended to respect Olympic rules prohibiting political demonstrations at venues while still ensuring Ukraine’s plight remained visible during the Games.
SPORT AND POLITICS
Following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus were largely barred from international sport, but the IOC has since backed their gradual return under strict conditions.
Moscow and Minsk say sport should remain separate from international conflicts.
There have been a number of incidents over the years where athletes have protested on the field of play or on the medals podium.
The most famous case dates back to the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City when U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists during the 200 meters medal ceremony to protest racial injustice in the U.S.
That led to their expulsion from the Games, although Smith kept his gold medal and Carlos his bronze.
More recently, at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Afghan breakdancer Manizha Talash, a member of the refugee Olympic team, was disqualified after wearing a cape with the slogan “Free Afghan Women” during a pre-qualifying competition.
However, there have also been cases where athletes and teams escaped punishment when their action was not deemed political.
Australia’s women’s soccer team unfurled a flag of the first peoples of Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but, while it was not one of the recognized flags of participating nations at the Games, the team was not sanctioned.
Two Chinese cycling medalists who wore badges featuring the head of their country’s former leader Mao Zedong on the podium in Tokyo escaped with a warning.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Ski Jumping: Germany’s Raimund soars to gold, Slovenia’s Prevc falls short
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics – Ski Jumping – Men’s Normal Hill Individual – Final Round – Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium, Predazzo, Italy – February 9, 2026. Philipp Raimund of Germany reacts after his run in the Final Round. PREDAZZO, Italy — Germany’s Philipp Raimund won the gold medal in the men’s normal hill ski jumping event as he soared ahead of Poland’s Kacper Tomasiak at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Monday.
The Pole had to settle for silver, while Japan’s Ren Nikaido and Switzerland’s Gregor Deschwanden shared bronze. Favorite Domen Prevc of Slovenia only managed sixth place.
Raimund claimed the title with a final jump of 106.5 meters as he reached 274.1 points, 3.4 points ahead of Tomasiak, while Nikaido and Deschwanden finished 8.1 points back.
The 25-year-old Raimund fired an early warning on a dark but clear night in the Italian Alps, soaring 102 meters in the first round to earn the final jump of the competition and then handled the pressure to fly to his first Olympic gold.
“I know there’s a lot of pressure from the media and outside but my coach, the whole staff, my girlfriend … they were taking all that off my shoulders so I could just concentrate on myself. I want to say thank you to everybody,” he said.
“I’m extremely proud of myself that I could do two amazing jumps and stand on top at the end.”
The 19-year-old Tomasiak was delighted with second place.
“It is a dream coming true. I wasn’t really expecting that at my first Olympics. I’m a little surprised, but very happy. I jumped really good,” he said.
Gold medal favorite Prevc endured a shaky start, finishing only eighth in the opening round after a 100-metre jump, with the World Cup leader looking disappointed as he realized he had landed too short to mount an early challenge for gold.
His 105-metre second-round jump bumped him briefly into first place but he ended up out of the medals.
“Already the small (normal) hill is difficult for me and there was a bit of back wind but, honestly, after yesterday’s training I did not expect too much,” he told Reuters.
Prevc added that he had approached the competition with the mindset that he would be satisfied with a top-10 finish.
“It’s on one hand success for me, but on the other hand I of course came here to win medals and, yeah, it’s a little bit (of a) salty feeling,” Prevc said.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
'No regrets': Lindsey Vonn speaks post-crash, needs multiple surgeries
Feb 7, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITALY; Lindsey Vonn of the United States during women’s alpine skiing downhill training the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images Lindsey Vonn has a complex tibia fracture that will “require multiple surgeries to fix properly,” Vonn said in an Instagram post Monday.
The post is Vonn’s first public statement since her gruesome crash during Sunday’s women’s downhill skiing final at the Milan Cortina Games. Vonn had to be airlifted off the course after crashing in the first 20 seconds of her run.
“While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets,” Vonn wrote. “Standing in the starting gate (Sunday) was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself.”
“I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.”
Vonn, 41, had completely ruptured her ACL and suffered meniscus damage on the same leg in her final World Cup race before the Olympics on Jan. 30. She had decided to race on it anyway, but made it clear the ACL didn’t cause this crash.
“I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and result(ing) in my crash,” Vonn wrote.
Vonn was airlifted and treated nearby in the Ca’ Foncello Hospital in the northern Italian city of Treviso. She underwent surgery later that day and was in stable condition, U.S. Skiing as well as the hospital said in statements.
Vonn has had a history of serious injuries, so much so that it forced her to initially retire in 2019. A partial knee replacement in April 2024 helped her start her comeback to the sport and to compete in these Olympics.
“Similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall. Sometimes our hearts are broken. Sometimes we don’t achieve the dreams we know we could have. But that is also the beauty of life; we can try,” Vonn wrote.
“I tried. I dreamt. I jumped.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Celtics star Jayson Tatum (Achilles) cleared to return to practice
Oct 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Jayson Tatum hit an important benchmark in his recovery from an Achilles tear Monday, as the Boston Celtics sent him to take part in the G League affiliate Maine Celtics’ practice in Boston.
The team said in a statement that after Tatum participates in “portions of” Maine’s practice, he will immediately be recalled to Boston to continue his rehab process with the Celtics.
The Celtics’ statement did not give any further details about Tatum’s timeline to return to game action.
Tatum suffered his Achilles tendon tear during the Eastern Conference semifinals last May against the New York Knicks.
Tatum was an All-Star each of the past six years, and in the past four MVP races he finished fourth in balloting twice and sixth twice. He averaged 26.8 points along with career highs of 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in 2024-25.
Without Tatum available for most or all of this season, the Celtics were not expected to be competitive. But Jaylen Brown’s career year has helped them start 34-19, tied for second in the East with the Knicks.
Brown is fourth in the NBA in scoring at 29.4 points per game and also has career-high averages in rebounding (6.9) and assists (4.7). Tatum himself said on a recent podcast appearance that he was concerned trying to return late in the year would upset the Celtics’ current chemistry.
Brad Stevens, Boston’s president of basketball operations, sees it another way.
“Obviously, any team with Jayson Tatum’s going to be better,” Stevens said Friday. “If he needs it, I’ll tell him every day. Because every team — all 30 of us — would be way, way better with him on the team.”
The Celtics also assigned Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams to practice with Tatum and the Maine Celtics on Monday.
–Field Level Media
Ski Jumping: Germany’s Raimund soars to gold, Slovenia’s Prevc falls short
'No regrets': Lindsey Vonn speaks post-crash, needs multiple surgeries
