Meaning behind powerful message Winter Olympian had written on hand
Winter Olympian Olena Smaha was spotted with a powerful message written on her hand, an act which might put her at risk of punishment from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Her move comes after fellow Ukrainian Olympian Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from wearing a 'helmet of remembrance' for fallen athletes in the war with Russia.
He had worn the item for training sessions, covered in pictures of people who were killed during the conflict, before it was banned due to 'political' messages not being allowed.
On Instagram, the skeleton racer said the decision to ban 'simply breaks my heart', as he wrote: "The IOC bans the use of my helmet in official training and competitions."
Advert
Following the ban, women's luge star Smaha wrote a message on her hand which appeared to refer to the decision made regarding Heraskevych.
Smaha, 26, finished 20th in the race, and was picked up showing the palm of her hand to the camera, where she had written the words 'remembrance is not a violation'.
Despite the ban, Heraskevych decided to defy the rules and continued to wear the helmet, and the Ukrainian team has also lodged an appeal, saying the helmet and Smaha's message do not breach the Winter Olympics Article 50.
According to the Guardian, he said: "I used it in all trainings. I used it today, I will use it tomorrow, and I will use it on race day.
"I truly believe that we didn’t violate any law and any rules."
Rule 50 says that 'no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas'.
SPORTbible reached out to the IOC for clarification and was told: "During the Olympic Games, all participants have the opportunity to express their views as per the Athlete Expression Guidelines.
"In order to strike a balance between the right to freedom of expression while preserving the political neutrality of the Olympic Games as well as the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, these Guidelines provide a framework for competitors, team officials or other team personnel participating in the Olympic Games regarding opportunities available to them to express their views during the Games."
The IOC also states that 'each incident will be evaluated by their respective National Olympic Committee, International Federation and the IOC, and disciplinary action will be taken on a case-by-case basis as necessary'.
Following Smaha's message, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces shared photos of soldiers holding up the same message on their hands.
During a press conference, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams insisted that the Ukrainian team were allowed to wear black armbands if they wished.
He said: "There was an informal meeting last night with Mr Heraskevych, his coach and the delegation, and we reiterated our understanding of the athlete’s wish to pay tribute to his fellow Ukrainian athletes, which he’s done during training and on social media.
"What we’ve tried to do is to address his desires with compassion and understanding.
"We will not stop him expressing himself in press conferences, in the mixed zone and elsewhere. And we feel that this is a good compromise."
It remains to be seen if Smaha will be penalised for her message.
LADbible has contacted the IOC for further comment.
Topics: Sport, Winter Olympics, Ukraine, Russia
Jen Thomas