The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday evening denied an appeal by Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych against the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). An ad hoc division of the Swiss-based court issued the ruling after hearing the case earlier in the day.
The CAS said it was “fully sympathetic to Mr Heraskevych’s commemoration” but was bound by the IOC Athlete Expression Guidelines, which the panel found strike “a reasonable balance between athletes’ interests to express their views, and athletes’ interests to receive undivided attention for their sporting performance on the field of play.” The decision means Heraskevych remains disqualified from competing at the Games.
Heraskevych, 27, had sought permission to race wearing a helmet bearing portraits of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes who have died since Russia launched its full-scale invasion four years ago. He had used the helmet in five training runs, finishing each time among the top six, and argued the images were a commemoration rather than a political statement.
After a two-and-a-half-hour hearing in Milan, Heraskevych — draped in a Ukrainian flag — appeared resigned to the outcome. “It looks like this train has left. I cannot do another race so it is done,” he told reporters, saying he did not plan to return to the sliding venue during the Games. He said he was grateful for the opportunity to be heard and remained convinced he had not broken any rules.
The IOC had ruled the helmet violated Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which bars “any kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” at Olympic sites and venues. The IOC and IBSF maintained that the images crossed the line into political expression under current regulations.
Ukrainian teammates and officials rallied behind Heraskevych. The Ukrainian mixed relay luge team knelt at the finish area, raised their helmets and shouted messages of support. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would award Heraskevych a medal of merit and criticized the IOC on social media, writing that “sport shouldn’t mean amnesia” and urging the Olympic movement to help stop wars rather than “play into the hands of aggressors.” About 40 members of the European Parliament also sent an open letter asking the IOC to reconsider its decision.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who personally informed Heraskevych of the ban, said there were no immediate plans to change rules governing political expression. “If our athletes would like us to look at it (the rules), we are open to everything. But the rules are the rules as of today, and I believe they are good rules,” she said at a press conference, noting conversations with athletes about keeping the Games experience safe for all competitors.
Edited by Jonathan Harding