Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladislav Hrayskevich appealed his disqualification from the Winter Olympics, hoping for a favorable ruling from the sport’s top court.
Ukrainian Skeleton racer Vladislav Heraskevich expressed hope that “the truth will prevail” after appealing his disqualification from the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday.
The 27-year-old was banned from the Games on Thursday after refusing to wear a helmet displaying images of Ukrainian players killed following Russia’s 2022 invasion.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that Heraskevich “failed to comply with IOC athlete expression guidelines”, which prohibit political gestures during competition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the decision, saying it “played into the hands of the aggressors.”
After his CAS hearing, Herascevich said he was “pretty positive about how it went.”
He added, “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to speak and that we were treated equally in the hearing room and the arguments were heard.”
Qualifying for his event took place on Thursday, with the final scheduled for Friday, leaving his potential reinstatement unclear.
“Speculation on the outcome of the court case is not very helpful at this stage,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer, met with Herascevich on Thursday and tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to change his helmet.
Coventry described their conversation as “a very respectful conversation”.
However, he said that on political messages, “the rules are the same rules as they are today.”
