Cortina d'Ampezzo (Belluno), 11 February (LaPresse) – ‘We will contact the athlete and reiterate the opportunity he has to express his opinion and his pain on social media, at press conferences and in the mixed zone. We really want him to compete, we want him to have his moment.’ This was stated by IOC spokesperson Mark Adams during the daily briefing of the Milan-Cortina Games regarding the case involving Ukrainian flag bearer Vladyslav Heraskevych, a skeleton athlete competing in the Milan-Cortina Games who was banned by the International Olympic Committee from wearing a commemorative helmet depicting athletes killed during Russian attacks. ‘We feel his pain, we know he wants to express it and we want to support him,’ Adams continued, adding that "there are 130 conflicts in the world right now, we cannot have 130 conflicts represented during the Games and during the competition. We support him and we want him to compete. We hope to have a conversation with the athlete to explain our point of view. It is in everyone's interest that he can compete and listen to what he has to say."
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