France, Feb. 12 -- The IOC had said Heraskevych could instead wear a black armband, but the 27-year-old insisted on competing in his helmet adorned with portraits of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia.

"There's nothing apart from pictures of the dead on this helmet," 41-year-old Dmytro Yasenovskyi told AFP in central Kyiv.

"What madness," he said.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine four years ago has left hundreds of Ukrainian athletes dead, officials say, and stirred tensions at a string of international sporting events.

Gestures of a political nature during competition have been forbidden since 2021 but athletes can express their views in press conferences and on social media.

"He didn't do anything wrong. This is not propaganda," Yasen...