The Olympics are intended to be a politically neutral event as per Rule 50 developed by the International Olympics Committee Athletes’ Commission, which states, “…it is important, on both a personal and a global level, that we keep the venues, the Olympic Village and the podium neutral and free from any form of political, religious or ethnic demonstrations” (International Olympics Committee). That being said, maybe some rules are meant to be broken? That is something you can think about for yourself, but it is clear that there are plenty of 2026 Winter Olympic athletes that might well agree with that statement. Let’s talk about it.
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych came to the Olympics with a helmet designed by artist Iryna Prots that depicted portraits of 24 Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia’s war with Ukraine. With 4,838 drones, 14 ballistic missiles, and 61 cruise missiles fired in addition to 123 square miles of land gained by Russia in January of 2026 alone. It’s no surprise that a Ukrainian Olympic athlete would use his global platform to make a powerful statement (Russia Matters, 2026).
After wearing the helmet to training on both Tuesday, February 10th and Wednesday, February 11th, the International Olympics Committee insisted that Heraskevych compete without the helmet. Heraskevych refused to comply, citing the highly personal nature of his statement, which is that many of his friends were among the tens of thousands of civilians killed from Russia’s invasions (Karazy, 2026).
Despite his persistence and poignant rationale, the Olympic Charter strongly enforces that the Olympic games are no place for political demonstrations (Knight, 2026).
Ultimately, Heraskevych’s determination to wear this helmet resulted in him being disqualified from competing (Hunter et al., 2026) He was able to get this message of remembrance across, but at what personal cost? Years of training to compete on the world’s stage, among the greatest athletes in skeleton, were forfeited by his commitment to his patriotic cause.
This intersectionality between politics and the Olympic games doesn’t always manifest in an outward political demonstration. In fact, a handful of American athletes have shared their political opinions off the ski runs and ice rinks. On Friday, February 6th, Hunter Hess, an American Freestyle Skier, responded “it brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think,” when asked during a press conference about his feelings representing the U.S. during these turbulent times. His comments generated backlash at the highest level; on Sunday, February 8th, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, “U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” (Ott, 2026).
Following up on those comments, Vice President JD Vance came in support of the President in an interview on Wednesday, February 11, arguing, “You’re not there to pop off about politics, So when Olympic athletes enter the political arena, they should expect some pushback” (Anderson, 2026).
While Hess did express discomfort with representing the United States, it wasn’t unsolicited. He was asked his feelings on representing his country – he didn’t volunteer that information. The answer he gave may warrant pushback if you believe that Olympic athletes should stick exclusively to public comments about their matches, races, and runs, but reporters are asking these kinds of questions; they believe their readers and listeners want to know.
Olympians aren’t politicians, so by no means should they be expected to express their political stance, but if they want to, what does that mean for them, for the country, and for the Olympics more broadly?
All things considered, Olympians are humans too and likely hold opinions and thoughts on current events and affairs as many US citizens do. In classrooms, dorms, offices and kitchen tables, politics is a hot topic and many of us share our ideas and opinions with those who ask. Just because an Olympian has a larger stage and a broader reach, should they be expected to refrain from sharing their opinions, especially when asked?
Sources:
Rule 50 guidelines developed by the IOC Athletes’ Commission. (n.d.). https://www.olympics.com/athlete365/app/uploads/2020/12/Rule-50-Guidelines-Tokyo-2020.pdf
The russia-ukraine war report card, Feb. 11, 2026 | russia matters. Russia Matters. (2026). https://www.russiamatters.org/news/russia-ukraine-war-report-card/russia-ukraine-war-report-card-feb-11-2026
Karazy, S. (2026). Olympics “look surreal” from Ukraine, artist behind war dead helmet says | Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/sports/look-surreal-ukraine-artist-behind-war-dead-helmet-says-2026-02-11/
Knight, H. (2026). Ukrainian Olympian is disqualified over helmet honoring war dead – The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/world/olympics/ukraine-skeleton-olympics-banned-helmet-heraskevych.html
Hunter, M., Cohen, R., Smith, P., & Talmazan, Y. (2026, February 12). Ukrainian star disqualified from Winter Olympics over helmet honoring war dead. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/ukraine-vladyslav-heraskevych-disqualified-winter-olympics-helmet-war-rcna258696
Ott, H. (2026). Trump lashes out at Team USA athlete for Sharing thoughts on political situation at home. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-lashes-out-hunter-hess-milano-cortina-winter-games/Anderson, Z. (2026, February 11). JD Vance says Olympians “not there to pop off about politics.” USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/11/jd-vance-olympics-donald-trump-hunter-hess/88622817007/