The Ukrainian Olympic Skeleton Helmet Negotiation: Representative of Vladyslav Heraskevych, Ukrainian Olympic Skeleton Racer (A)

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games provide the setting for this two-party negotiation simulation. One day before the skeleton competition, Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych seeks to compete wearing a helmet bearing images of 24 Ukrainian Olympians killed during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) contends the helmet constitutes a political demonstration prohibited under Rules 40.2 and 50.2 of the Olympic Charter and proposes a compromise: Heraskevych may display the helmet outside competition but may not wear it when he races. The dilemma is sharpened by the broader geopolitical conditions surrounding the Games, prior IOC approvals, and other athletes' tributes.