Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych had his attraction dismissed as photos on his helmet breached an Olympic ‘sacred precept’.
Printed On 13 Feb 2026
The Court docket of Arbitration for Sport on Friday dismissed an attraction by Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych to be reinstated within the Milano Cortina Olympics after he was disqualified over his “helmet of remembrance”.
The 27-year-old was removed from the Olympic programme on Thursday when the Worldwide Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation jury dominated that imagery on the helmet — depicting athletes killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 — breached guidelines on political neutrality.
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“The CAS advert Hoc division dismissed the applying and located that freedom of expression is assured on the Olympic Video games however not on the sphere of play which is a sacred precept,” CAS Secretary-Basic Matthieu Reeb mentioned, studying from a press release following an eight-hour listening to.
Heraskevych, who was searching for reinstatement or a minimum of a CAS-supervised run, pending a choice by sport’s highest courtroom prematurely of the ultimate two runs set for Friday night, mentioned he would take a look at his authorized choices now.
“CAS has failed us. We’ll take into account our subsequent steps,” Heraskevych advised Reuters.
The case has dominated headlines within the first week of the Olympics, with the Worldwide Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry assembly the athlete on Thursday morning on the sliding venue in Cortina d’Ampezzo in a last-minute try to dealer a compromise and have him race with out the precise helmet.
The IOC as a substitute provided that he put on a black armband and show the helmet earlier than and after the race, however mentioned utilizing the helmet in competitors breached its guidelines on political protests and slogans within the subject of play.
In a press release, CAS mentioned the IOC pointers for athletes’ expression within the Video games had been truthful.
“The Sole Arbitrator discovered these limitations affordable and proportionate, contemplating the opposite alternatives for athletes to lift consciousness,” CAS mentioned.
“The Sole Arbitrator considers these Pointers present an affordable stability between athletes’ pursuits to precise their views, and athletes’ pursuits to obtain undivided consideration for his or her sporting efficiency on the sphere of play.”
Ukraine’s Olympic Committee has backed their athlete, who can also be the crew’s flagbearer for the Video games and in addition displayed a “No Struggle in Ukraine” signal on the Beijing 2022 Olympics, days earlier than Russia’s invasion. Heraskevych has additionally obtained help from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
CAS was established in 1984 by the Worldwide Olympic Committee as an unbiased judicial authority to settle sports activities disputes worldwide.
The case has dominated headlines within the first week of the Olympics.
Earlier than the ruling, Heraskevych accused the Milano-Cortina Games as performing as “propaganda” for Russia.
