CAS dismisses Ukrainian skeleton racer Heraskevych's appeal against IOC

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal by Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF).

Source: Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Sport

Details: The decision was announced at 17:15 local time.

CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said that freedom of expression is allowed at the Olympics, but not at the competition venue, and that the judge had heard the arguments of both sides and made a decision in accordance with the IOC guidelines.

CAS has published the arguments put forward by Judge Annett Rombach from Germany, who took the decision to dismiss Heraskevych's appeal.

Key points:

• The IBSF disqualified Heraskevych due to his intention to "wear in competition a helmet displaying portraits of Ukrainian athletes who lost their lives in the war". As confirmation of this intention, Heraskevych is cited as saying on 10 February that he would compete wearing his helmet.
• The helmet was deemed by the IBSF and IOC to be "inconsistent with the Olympic Charter and Guidelines on Athlete Expression".
• The CAS Arbitrator considered the limitations proposed by the IOC for Heraskevych – highlighting the issue in the mixed zone, at press conferences and on social media, and wearing the helmet during training runs – to be "reasonable and proportionate".

Heraskevych's lawyer, Yevhen Pronin, provided more details on the ruling, stating that "the case was far broader than an individual dispute".

Quote from Pronin: "The court sided with the IOC and confirmed the decision that an athlete may be removed from the Olympic Games without committing an actual violation, without posing a technical or safety threat, and even before competing. This case was far broader than an individual dispute. It concerned athlete freedom of expression, the limits of discretion of sports bodies, and the very understanding of Olympic values."

Background:

• Heraskevych was disqualified from the 2026 Olympics after wearing his "remembrance helmet", which features portraits of 20 Ukrainian athletes killed due to Russian aggression, at several official training runs. He was not allowed to compete in his first race.
• The Ukrainian athlete appealed the suspension. On 12 February, the day before the verdict was announced, he met with IOC President Kirsty Coventry, but they were unable to reach an agreement. The IOC later restored his accreditation, but Heraskevych was still not allowed to participate in the competition.

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