Name: Why this Olympian says his banned helmet is bigger than sports | February 12, 2026
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Hey, everybody, I'm Mina Durson, back in the chair for Coy Wire, and

I'm excited to be with you for another fresh edition of CNN10.

Adverbs of degree

It is Thursday, February 12, and we have some really important stories to tell you about today.

We begin in Italy, where a helmet is turning heads and making headlines at the Winter Olympics.

It belongs to Ukrainian flag bearer Vladislav Horaskevich, who is competing in skeleton, an event similar to luge, where racers hurtle down an icy track headfirst.

The helmet in question features portraits of Herskevich's fellow Ukrainian Olympians who were killed during Russia's war in Ukraine.

But he says he's now been barred from wearing it by the International Olympic Committee.

Why did this helmet get banned by Olympic officials?

A Ukrainian athlete says it's because of the people who are pictured on it.

Skeleton racer Vladislav Karskevich wants to keep the world's focus on the war in Ukraine.

His helmet is decorated with portraits of fellow athletes who were killed in the war.

I feel that I fulfill someone's dreams and, yeah, these people don't deserve to die so young.

Karaskevich says he was prevented from wearing the helmet by the International Olympics Competition Committee.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Tarskevich on X for, quote, reminding the world of the price of our struggle.

Some things are more important than sport and it's no medal that worth the same as life of people.

And yeah, I believe that it's important to show that also.

Ukraine's National Olympic Committee says they appealed the International Olympic Committee's decision earlier this week.

The ioc, for their part, says the helmet was banned for violating their guidelines on athletes making, quote, political statements.

They've instead encouraged her Scavich to wear a black armband during competition to commemorate his teammates.

What we've tried to do is to address his desires with compassion and understanding.

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.

And we feel that this is a good compromise in the situation.

But a defiant Herzkiewicz has told CNN that he doesn't think that's enough and he plans to wear the helmet anyway.

Yes, I wear this helmet two days ago, yesterday, today I will wear it tomorrow, and

These people sacrifice their lives, and because of that, I am able to be here today.

I am able to be at the Olympics and I will not betray them.

Should Olympic athletes be allowed to make statements like this is the IOC right to try and keep things fair for all participants?

How would you handle this situation if it was up to you?

Teachers, Feel free to pause and take a moment to discuss amongst yourselves.

As some gold medal winners celebrate with their hard earned bling, they're getting an unwelcome surprise.

Their medals are falling off their ribbons.

Our Samantha Lindell has a look at how the awkward moments are taking center stage at this year's Games.

So there's the medal and there's the ribbon.

Here's the little piece that is supposed to go in the ribbon to hold it in the metal.

Some Olympians are celebrating their wins with broken metals.

After winning team USA's first gold medal of the Games.

In downhill skiing, Breezy Johnson showcased her metal which had separated from its ribbon.

Meanwhile, Germany's ski team were jumping in celebration when one member's medal slipped off its ribbon.

And figure skater Alyssa Lu said her gold medal doesn't even need a ribbon.

These medals are the most expensive in Olympic history thanks to the price of gold and silver skyrocketing.

Chief Games operations officer Andrea Francisci says they're looking into the problem.

Manatees are most closely related to which animal is it?

If you said elephants, you are manatee rific.

Both animals share a common ancestor and despite their different habitats, they have a lot in common.

Manatees snouts are actually shortened versions of elephant trunks and they even have elephant like toenails on their flippers.

Speaking of manatees, one of these gentle giants is getting a second chance.

And thanks to an amazing rescue in Florida.

After he became stuck in a storm drain, city workers stumbled upon the stranded sea cow while working on a baffle box which prevents trash and debris from flowing back out into a nearby lagoon.

Following a round the clock rescue effort, the 400 pound marine mammal was finally freed and taken to nearby SeaWorld to recover.

That was really, really awesome that someone was able to spot him because if he was not being able to be found, you would not have a fortunate outcome like right now.

It's unclear exactly how the manatee ended up stuck in the drain, but

officials think he may have been seeking out warmer water.

Manatees require warm water to survive, and

they'll often migrate to many of Florida's natural springs to wait out the winter.

Meanwhile, this lucky manatee is now on the mend, and

he's enjoying a lettuce buffet while SeaWorld staffers work hard to get him ready for release.

Once we can get his blood analyzed and we can get a treatment plan, then I'm hopeful for his recovery.

China's AI competition is bubbling over, and this time it comes with tapioca pearls.

CNN's Mike Valerio takes us to Beijing, where a free bubble tea promotion brewed up massive chaos for delivery drivers.

Okay, why does it look like in some of these videos China is having a national Boba emergency.

Tons of delivery drivers absolutely packing these stores.

One of China's biggest tech companies, Alibaba, gave out millions of vouchers for free Boba, all to get people to download its AI chatbot, Kwen.

You choose how much sugar you want, put in your address, and then done.

In just nine hours, people placed more than 10 million free drink orders.

Other stores had to shut down for the day, and the app temporarily crashed.

But QEN shot to number one on app stores in China, beating offerings from Alibaba rivals like Tencent, bytedance, and

All these Chinese tech giants are pouring billions of dollars into AI labs, a key part of Beijing's push to challenge Silicon Valley's early lead.

But in the increasingly heated domestic AI race, especially during the Lunar New Year holiday, when companies duke it out for attention and market share, Chinese tech firms are now enticing users not just with better benchmarks, but

also with tastier freebies, one bubble tea at a time.

Getting a 10 out of 10 is ready for takeoff.

At 88 years old, Frances Dahlke has reached plenty of milestones.

But she'd never step foot on an airplane until now.

And I says, well, I'll fly when Alex gets his pilot license.

If she was going to take to the skies, her grandson Alex had to be the one flying the plane.