Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has lost an appeal against his hugely controversial disqualification from the Winter Olympics.
Heraskevych had pinned thin hopes on the Court of Arbitration for Sport 24 hours after being told he was not allowed to compete in a helmet depicting victims of the Russian invasion.
But after attending a hearing on Friday morning, the verdict has found in favour of the International Olympic Committee’s stance that he was in breach of their rules around political messaging at Games sites.
The fact he had options to pay tribute to the fallen Ukrainians in press conferences and mixed zones meant the court sided with the view that he had not been denied ‘freedom of expression’.
A statement read: ‘The sole arbitrator appointed for this matter wished to state that she is fully sympathetic to Mr Heraskevych’s commemoration and to his attempt to raise awareness for the grief and devastation suffered by the Ukrainian people, and Ukrainian athletes because of the war.
‘She heard the arguments and examined the athlete expression guidelines, which state that freedom of speech is a fundamental right of any athlete competing in the Olympic Games, but limit the right to express views during competitions on the field of play.
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified because of the helmet
The Ukrainian athlete appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which rejected his claim
‘The sole arbitrator found these limitations reasonable and proportionate, considering the other opportunities for athletes to raise awareness (in mixed zones, in press conferences, on social networks, or in Mr Heraskevych’s case, wearing the helmet during four training runs).
‘The sole arbitrator notes that the goal of this is to maintain the focus of the Olympic Games on performances and sport, a common interest of all athletes, who have worked for years to appear in the Olympic Games, and who deserve undivided attention for their sporting performances and sporting success. The sole arbitrator is bound by such proportionate rules and has no means to override them. As a consequence, the application was dismissed.’
Heraskevych’s appeal was very much a long shot, not least because the first two heats of the skeleton were staged on Thursday. Heraskevych’s proposal, in the event of success in court, would have been to undergo two supervised runs down the track in Cortina on Friday, but such an outcome seemed highly unlikely given the variance in overnight conditions.
Heraskevych’s sense of conviction came at the cost of a possible medal, given he was regularly in the top three during the practice sessions in Cortina and was quickest on Wednesday.
In the wake of his disqualification amid one of the most controversial episodes in the history of the Olympics, Heraskevych posted on social media: ‘This is price of our dignity.’
