While all the Short Track skaters are wearing rigidly identical national kits, when it comes to helmets, they get the chance to express their artistic side. 

During the course of Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, you noticed many skaters sporting brilliant bespoke designs, from mythical Greek figures to traditional national animals.

Dutch racer Itzhak de Laat has helped to spearhead this trend. A highly talented athlete, he has also become well known for his artistic skills which channel his love of art and music - especially heavy metal. 

De Laat’s rock ‘n’ roll racewear has proved popular, and he has been commissioned to design the helmets presented to the winners of the ISU Crystal Globe competition each year: William Dandjinou (NED) and Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA) wore them this season, while Koreans Kim Gilli and Park Ji Won had them the season before.

Kristen Santos-Griswold (USA) and William Dandjinou (CAN) with the Crystal Globe winners' helmets designed by Dutch skater Itzhak de Laat © ISU

“It used to be a hobby for me but it’s starting to get more serious,” says De Laat. 

“I like to be creative so I literally design the helmets and I also learned the skill of how to make them.

"I use an airbrush, I use a pencil, I use paint. Everything you see is handmade.”

De Laat's own hand-painted helmets have caught the eye and the admiration of other skaters who now sport his bespoke designs © ISU

De Laat is from an artistic family. 

“The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree – both my parents are artists,” he said. 

“My mum does all kinds of art projects and my dad makes a lot of drawings. At school, when I was in maths class, I’d just be doodling.”

Other artists have got in on the act recently, too, most notably 20-year-old Canadian spray painter Simon Olivier-Côté. His headgear is wildly popular among his fellow countrymen, including Dandjinou, Steven Dubois, Florence Brunelle and Jordan Pierre-Gilles, while international followers include Shogo Miyata, Abzal Azhgaliyev (KAZ) and Jens van ’t Wout (NED), who describes Cote’s work as “dope”.

Jens van 't Wout (NED) won the Olympic 1000m crown wearing a Dutch Lion helmet by Canadian artist Simon Olivier-Côté © ISU