Heraskevych, who had already used the helmet in preliminary runs, said organizers raised objections after reviewing his gear.
“The IOC prohibits the use of my helmet in official training and competition,” he said in an Instagram post on Feb. 9.
“It’s a decision that simply breaks the heart. It feels like the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement by denying us the chance to honor them on the sporting stage, a stage they will never again step onto.”
He said the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee will submit an official appeal to the IOC and fight for the right to compete in the helmet.
Despite past precedents when the IOC allowed similar tributes, Heraskevych suggested the committee “decided to set special rules” for Ukraine in this case.
Heraskevych pointed to an apparent double standard after the
IOC allowed an Italian snowboarder to display a Russian flag on his helmet,
even though Russian flags are banned at the Milan-Cortina Games.