Ukrainian trains in helmet honoring fellow athletes killed in war. IOC says it's banned for race

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych will be allowed to wear a black armband in competition at the Milan Cortina Games, the International Olympic Committee said Tuesday, but not the helmet he wants to wear that is painted to commemorate the lives of athletes from his country who were killed in the war with Russia.

The IOC called the move a compromise.

“I think what we’ve tried to do is to address his desires with compassion and understanding,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Tuesday. “He has expressed himself on social media and in the training and, as you know, we will not stop him expressing himself in press conferences, as he leaves competition in the mixed zone and elsewhere. We feel that this is a good compromise in the situation.”

Not long afterward, Heraskevych wore the tribute helmet for his first of two training runs on Tuesday, which suggests that Ukraine has filed an appeal. He did not appear to be wearing a black armband.

In a letter to the Ukrainian Olympic Commmitte, the IOC said Heraskevych would not be able to “compete” in the personalized helmet. What is permitted for training runs was not specified.

Heraskevych said the IOC told him Monday night that he could not wear the helmet that shows the faces of several Ukrainian athletes who have been killed since 2022 because Olympic officials decided it broke the rule banning political statements.

Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter in part states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

Heraskevych — who was fourth at last year's world championships and is generally considered a medal hopeful at these Games — has more training runs scheduled for Wednesday, and he is expected to compete in the Olympic men's skeleton race Thursday.

The IOC noted that it has banned armbands in the past, but is willing to make an exception in Heraskevych's case. The move by the IOC doesn't mean all athletes can wear armbands, and if Heraskevych chooses to do so, it cannot include any text, Adams said.

“We don’t want everyone wearing a black armband for every competition," Adams said. "But where there’s a good reasoning, it will be considered properly.”

Heraskevych said he is still pushing for a fair outcome, adding that he has seen Russian flags — which were supposed to be banned at these games — in the stands at some events, and wonders why they are allowed by the IOC.

“We didn’t violate any rules, and it should be allowed for me to compete with this helmet,” Heraskevych told The Associated Press on Monday, before Ukrainian sliding officials met with a representative from the IOC and learned the helmet would not be allowed. “I cannot understand how this helmet hurt anyone. It’s to pay tribute to athletes and some of them were medalists in the Youth Olympic Games. That means they’re Olympic family. They were part of this Olympic family, so I cannot understand they would find a reason why not.”

Figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, a onetime Youth Olympic Games teammate of Heraskevych, is on the helmet, as are boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, hockey player Oleksiy Loginov and others. Some, Heraskevych said, were killed on the front lines; at least one died while trying to distribute aid to fellow Ukrainians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy weighed in on Heraskevych’s quest, with a post on his Instagram page saying that he wanted to thank the slider for “reminding the world the price of our struggle.”

Heraskevych, a flag bearer for Ukraine at last week’s opening ceremony, displayed a sign after his fourth and final run of the 2022 Beijing Olympics saying “No War in Ukraine.” Days after those Games ended, Russia invaded his country and the war has continued since.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych arrives at the finish during a men's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych starts a men's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych starts a men's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Wall Street shifted from small gains to losses early Tuesday amid another deluge of corporate earnings while Japan’s benchmark set another record after a historic election win for the nation’s first female prime minister.

Futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.1% before the opening bell, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down 0.2%. Nasdaq futures were down less than 0.2%.

Coca-Cola slid nearly 4% after the beverage giant topped Wall Street's profit expectations but fell short on revenue targets. Coke's revenue rose 2% from the same quarter last year, helped by 4% price hikes in North America.

Spotify jumped 9.7% after it the streaming music and podcast platform reported that its monthly active users and subscribers each grew by double-digit percentages in the fourth quarter.

Ford Motor Co. releases its latest financial results after the closing bell Tuesday.

Coming later Tuesday morning is the government's latest retail sales data.

Also this week, the government on Wednesday issues its January jobs report, while Friday will bring the latest monthly reading of inflation at the consumer level.

Either report could sway expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates. The Fed has put its cuts to interest rates on hold, but a weakening of the job market could push it to resume more quickly.

Too-hot inflation could keep it on hold for longer. One of the reasons the U.S. stock market remains close to records is the expectation that the Fed will continue cutting interest rates.

In Asian trading, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 2.3% to finish at 57,650.54, a record close. It jumped 3.9% to a record Monday after the landslide victory for Sanae Takaichi’s political party in Sunday's parliamentary election. Takaichi is expected to push through reforms intended to boost the economy and stock market.

“Japan’s fiscal stance could loosen further because the LDP’s supermajority will enable the new government to implement policies with few obstacles,” Fitch Ratings said in a report following the election, referring to Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party.

“Policy choices under the new government are likely to focus on tax relief and growth-oriented investment spending, reflecting voter concerns over higher inflation and low income growth,” it said.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 0.6% to 27,183.15, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.1% to 4,128.37.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined less than 0.1% to 8,867.40. South Korea's Kospi gained less than 0.1% to 5,301.69.

In Europe at midday, France’s CAC 40 was unchanged, while Britain’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.5%. Germany’s DAX was down 0.2%.

In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude rose 21 cents to $64.57 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, advanced 31 cents to $69.35 a barrel.

The U.S. dollar fell to 155.08 Japanese yen from 155.88 yen. The euro cost $1.1894, down from $1.1918.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

Specialist Anthony Matesic works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top right, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)