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Ukraine’s Winter Olympic athletes have expressed their anger after the International Olympic Committee banned a skeleton helmet that showed images of athletes who were killed following Russia’s invasion, with the skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych accusing the IOC of “betrayal” and the luger Olena Smaha protesting against it after competing.

Ukraine had argued that Heraskevych should be allowed to use his “helmet of memory”, showing the weightlifter Alina Peregudova, the boxer Pavlo Ishchenko and the ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov at the Winter Olympics.

However, its appeal was quickly rejected by the IOC, which said it violated its regulations regarding political expression under rule 50.2 of the Olympic charter.

Later in the day, the Ukrainian luge athlete Smaha made her feelings clear, holding up her hand on which was written “remembrance is not a violation” after she competed.

Earlier, the IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said that, while the helmet was banned, it would make an exception to allow Heraskevych to wear a black armband during competition.

In messages posted to social media, Heraskevych made clear his frustration with the IOC’s stance. “A decision that simply breaks my heart,” he wrote. “The feeling that the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement, not allowing them to be honoured on the sports arena where these athletes will never be able to step again.”

Heraskevych, Ukraine’s first skeleton athlete, also posted a picture of him holding up a “No War in Ukraine” sign at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, days before Russia’s 2022 invasion of the country. He also questioned why the IOC had cleared 13 athletes from Russia to compete as neutral athletes in Milano Cortina.

“Unfortunately, over these years this call for peace has only become even more relevant,” he said. “Also over these four years, the IOC has changed dramatically. Back then, in that action, they saw a call for peace and did not apply any sanctions against me.

“Now, at the Olympics, we have already seen a large number of Russian flags in the stands, on the helmet of one of the athletes – and for the IOC, this is not a violation.

“Yet a violation was found in the ‘helmet of memory’, which pays tribute to members of the Ukrainian sports family who have been killed since the last Olympic Games were held. The truth is on our side.”