"For Heraskevych, the helmet was not a political statement but an act of remembrance. Some of them were my friends, he said of the 24 people emblazoned across the helmet, including the teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, the boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, the ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, the actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, the diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, the shooter Oleksiy Khabarov and the dancer Daria Kurdel."
"The artwork was created by the Ukrainian artist Iryna Prots. The figures, she said, represent possibility cut short: Each pair of eyes could be seeing this world right now, could be fighting for their own medals, could be standing on their own pedestals."
The Winter Olympics were framed as a stage for unity but became embroiled in controversy over neutrality and political expression. Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified for insisting on wearing a "helmet of memory" that honored 24 Ukrainians killed during Russia's war. He was informed 21 minutes before racing by IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who spoke to the media in tears after failing to persuade him to change his mind. The helmet artwork was created by Iryna Prots and depicts lives and potential cut short. The disqualification prompted strong support across Ukraine and denunciation from senior Ukrainian officials.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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