SOCHI, Russia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Olympic athletes will not be allowed to wear stickers on their helmets in memory freestyle skier Sarah Burke, who died in a Jan. 2012 training accident.
The International Olympic Committee told the athletes not to use the stickers.
"It is not the rule that really is very important at all actually," said IOC spokesman Mark Adams. "In cases like this rules are not the most important thing. For us it is a question of what is appropriate and where would be the best place. We are very keen to help people who want to have a remembrance or do something and to do that in what would be the appropriate place."
Australian snowboarder Torah Bright, one of the athletes reprimanded for the sticker, said on Instagram, "I ride with a Sarah sticker on my snowboard and helmet always. The IOC however, consider Sarah stickers 'a political statement' and have banned them. WOW."
This is not the first time the IOC has dealt with an issue like this. They also sent a letter to the Norwegian Olympic Committee saying the black armbands the athletes were wearing to remember the recently deceased brother of one of the athletes were inappropriate.
The IOC said their letter to the NOC was not an official reprimand, but a reminder of the rules.
[NBC Sports]
