Arbitration court rejects appeal of Vladyslav Heraskevych’s Olympic tribute helmet

Skeletal Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych’s attempt to legally wear a customized helmet while competing in races at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games hit perhaps its most daunting obstacle on Friday.

Heraskevych took his request to don the helmet that paid tribute to Ukrainian war victims to the highest court in winter sliding sport.

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

Heraskevych was disqualified from a skeleton race on the helmet, which featured the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian coaches and athletes who have died since the Russian 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 the helmet constituted a direct violation of Olympic rules. The IOC cited rules that prohibit 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 helmet use, but ultimately to no avail.

“We found no common ground in this regard,” Heraskevych said.

Heraskevych’s lawyer, Yevhen Pronin, reacted to the court ruling in line with the IOC, arguing that his client did not actually commit misconduct.

“The court sided with the IOC and confirmed the decision that an athlete can be disqualified from the Olympic Games without actual misconduct, without a technical or safety threat and before the start,” Pronin said.

Vladyslav Heraskevych of Ukraine during training with a helmet in tribute to the athletes who died in Russia’s attack on Ukraine on February 11, 2026. (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)

The CAS, the only arbitrator to hear the case, said it “considered these limitations to be reasonable and proportionate,” especially because Heraskevych could display his helmet away from the racing surface, such as in interview areas and on social media. Heraskevych also wore the helmet in training.

Still, the appeal was largely moot. He was disqualified from the competition less than an hour before it was due to start on Thursday, and whatever the CAS said on Friday would not have changed that.

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

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He left the Cortina d’Ampezzo 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.

Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych reaches the finish line during a men’s skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Heraskevych confessed he was surprised by the strong reaction.

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

He also said he found it disconcerting to be stripped of his accreditation for the Games and then returned shortly after on Thursday in what appeared to be a gesture of goodwill.

“A mockery,” he said.

The CAS agreed that Heraskevych should retain his accreditation.

Tributes from other athletes who competed in Milan Cortina were allowed without penalty, including American figure skater Maxim Naumov showing a photo of his late parents, who died in a plane crash last year.

Italian snowboarder Roland Fischnaller had 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 that country during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The IOC said those cases did not violate any rules.

Naumov showed his photo in the kissing and crying area and not while he was on the ice. Fischnaller’s helmet was a tribute to all the previous Olympic sites he competed at, including Sochi. And Firestone’s kippah “was covered by a hat,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

The IOC offered Heraskevych the opportunity to compete in a different helmet and carry the tribute through the interview area after his races. He could have also worn a black bracelet.

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