Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych loses appeal against Olympic disqualification over helmet
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Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych posing with his banned helmet after a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Milan on Feb 13.
PHOTO: AFP
- Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Winter Olympics for wearing a helmet adorned with pictures of Ukrainian war dead.
- The IOC deemed the helmet a political gesture, violating Olympic rules. His appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was denied.
- CAS stated freedom of expression is not allowed on the field of play. Ukrainian President Zelensky criticised the decision, per AFP.
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MILAN - Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych on Feb 13 lost his appeal against disqualification from the Winter Olympics for wearing a helmet adorned with pictures of the Ukrainian war dead.
Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milan-Cortina Games on Feb 12 after refusing to ditch the helmet that features pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Gestures of a political nature during competition are forbidden under the Olympic charter and the IOC said Heraskevych had failed “to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines”.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it had “denied an application by Skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych (Ukraine) against the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)“.
CAS secretary-general Matthieu Reeb told reporters after the hearing in Milan that the court had “found that freedom of expression is guaranteed at the Olympic Games, but not on the field of play, which is a sacred principle.”
Heraskevych said before the CAS decision that he was “thankful for the opportunity to speak and we were treated equally at the hearing room and arguments were heard,” adding that “I hope truth will prevail and still I know that I was innocent.”
The decision to disqualify Heraskevych drew a stinging response on Feb 12 from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the “Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors”. AFP
