Arbitration court denies Vladyslav Heraskevych’s Olympic tribute helmet appeal

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych’s push to legally wear a customized helmet as he competed in races at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics ran into perhaps its most daunting obstacle Friday.

Heraskevych took his plea to don the helmet that paid tribute to Ukrainian war victims to the winter sliding sport’s highest court.

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

Heraskevych was disqualified from a skeleton race over the helmet, which displayed the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian coaches and athletes who have been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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

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

“We didn’t find common ground in this regard,” Heraskevych said.

Heraskevych’s attorney, Yevhen Pronin, reacted to the court ruling in step with the IOC, arguing his client did not actually commit 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 the start,” Pronin said.

CAS, the sole arbitrator hearing the case, said it “found these limitations reasonable and proportionate,” especially since Heraskevych could show his helmet away from the racing surface, such as in interview areas and on social media. Heraskevych also wore the helmet in training runs.

The appeal was largely moot anyway. He was disqualified from the competition less than an hour before its start on Thursday, and whatever CAS said on Friday wouldn’t have changed that. 

“Looks like this train has left,” 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 expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this weekend as well.

Heraskevych admitted he was surprised by the strong reaction. 

s”I never expected it to be such a big scandal,” he said.

He also said he found his accreditation for the Games being taken away, then returned shortly afterward Thursday in what seemed like a goodwill gesture, puzzling.

“A mockery,” he said.

CAS did agree that Heraskevych should keep his accreditation.

Tributes from other athletes competing in Milan Cortina were permitted without penalty, including American figure skater Maxim Naumov displaying a photo of his late parents who were killed in a plane crash last year.

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

The IOC said those cases were not in violation of any rules. 

Naumov showed his photo in the kiss-and-cry area and not while he was actually on the ice. Fischnaller’s helmet was a tribute to all the past Olympic sites he competed at, with Sochi included. And Firestone’s kippah “was covered by a beanie,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.

The IOC offered Heraskevych a chance to compete with a different helmet and bring the tribute through the interview area after his runs. He also could have worn a black armband.

“I think it’s the wrong side of history for the IOC,” Heraskevych said.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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