Arbitration court denies Vladyslav Heraskevych’s Olympic tribute helmet appeal

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych’s effort to legally wear a customized helmet while competing in races at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics hit perhaps its most daunting obstacle Friday.

Heraskevych fulfilled his request to wear the helmet commemorating Ukrainian war victims on the highest court in winter skating.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against Heraskevych’s appeal, effectively ending her last opportunity to compete for a medal at this year’s Games.

Heraskevych was disqualified from the skeleton race on a helmet displaying the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian coaches and athletes killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation also concluded that Heraskevych’s intention to wear a helmet was in direct violation of Olympic rules. The IOC cited rules against making political statements on the playing field.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry met with Heraskevych before Thursday’s men’s skeleton competition to try to change his mind about wearing a helmet, but ultimately to no avail.

“We couldn’t find common ground on this issue,” Heraskevych said.

Heraskevych’s lawyer, Yevhen Pronin, reacted to the court decision in line with the IOC, arguing that his client had not actually committed misconduct.

“The court sided with the IOC and upheld the decision that an athlete could be disqualified from the Olympic Games without actual misconduct, without a technical or safety threat, and before they started,” Pronin said. he said.

Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych trains wearing a helmet in memory of the athletes who lost their lives in Russia’s attack on Ukraine on February 11, 2026. (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)

CAS, the sole arbitrator hearing the case, said it “found these restrictions reasonable and proportionate”, particularly as Heraskevych was able to display his helmet away from the racing surface in places such as interview areas and social media. Heraskevych also wore a helmet during training runs.

The objection was already highly controversial. He was disqualified less than an hour before the match was due to start on Thursday and no matter what CAS said on Friday was going to change that.

“It looks like this train has gone,” Heraskevych said after Friday’s hearing.

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He left Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Olympic Village on Thursday night with no plans to return, then headed to Milan and arrived in Munich on Friday night, helmet in hand, for a dinner with Ukrainian officials at a security conference. He is also expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this weekend.

Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych reaches the finish during men’s skeleton training at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Heraskevych admitted that he was surprised by this strong reaction.

“I never expected there would be such a big scandal,” he said.

It also said it found itself stripped of its accreditation for the Games, then surprisingly reinstated shortly after on Thursday in what appeared to be a goodwill gesture.

“It’s a mockery,” he said.

CAS agreed that Heraskevych should retain his accreditation.

Memorial services for other athletes competing in Milan Cortina were allowed without penalty, including American figure skater Maxim Naumov’s display of a photo of his parents, who died in a plane crash last year.

Italian snowboarder Roland Fischnaller wore a small image of the Russian flag on the back of his helmet during the Games, and Israeli skeleton athlete Jared Firestone wore a kippah with the names of 11 athletes and coaches killed while representing the country during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

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The IOC said these cases did not violate any rules.

Naumov showed his photo not while on the ice, but in the kiss-and-cry zone. Fischnaller’s helmet paid homage to all the Olympic venues he competed in, including Sochi. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Firestone’s kippah “was covered by a beret.”

The IOC gave Heraskevych the chance to compete in a different helmet and bring his tribute to the interview venue after his runs. He could also wear a black armband.

“I think this is the wrong side of history for the IOC,” Heraskevych said.

Ryan Gaydos of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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