Heraskevich barred from Olympics: international court upholds IOC decision
14 February 00:53
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected the appeal of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladislav Heraskevich, confirming the validity of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to disqualify him. Thus, the athlete will not be able to participate in the competition, despite his attempt to appeal the sanctions in an international court. This was announced by the athlete’s lawyer, Yevgeny Pronin, who represented the Ukrainian athlete’s interests during the proceedings, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The court upheld the IOC’s position
According to the lawyer, the Court of Arbitration for Sport sided with the International Olympic Committee and confirmed the legality of its decision.
“The court sided with the IOC and upheld the decision that an athlete can be removed from the Olympic Games without any actual violation, without any technical or security threat, and even before the start of the competition. This case was much broader than an individual dispute. It concerned the freedom of expression of athletes, the limits of discretion of sports authorities, and the very understanding of Olympic values,” said Yevgeny Pronin.
According to the lawyer, the court found that Vladyslav Heraskevych had violated the provisions of the Olympic Charter even before the official start of the competition.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
Disqualification based on intent, not actual violation
The defense emphasizes that the decision to disqualify was made even before the athlete actually participated in the competition and without a confirmed violation of the rules.
“According to this logic, Vladislav should have been disqualified during training, but he was officially admitted to the competition and disqualified just before the start, without being allowed to enter the track. He was disqualified not for a violation that had not yet occurred, but for the intent to ‘violate the rules,'” Pronin explained.
The lawyer also drew attention to examples of other athletes who honored the memory of loved ones or displayed personal symbols but were not punished.
“Today, during the proceedings, we cited five more examples of athletes from other countries who also honored their deceased relatives and loved ones in various ways, but IOC representatives responded that they were not punished because they did not declare this in advance, but did so after the fact, so there was no point in disqualifying them. Therefore, selective justice in the IOC works against people with Ukrainian citizenship,” the lawyer said.
The reason for disqualification — the “helmet of remembrance”
The day before, the IOC banned Heraskevych from competing in the “helmet of remembrance” at the Olympic Games.
The IOC considered this a violation of Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits political statements during the Olympic Games.
At the same time, the Ukrainian drew attention to the double standards of the International Olympic Committee. In particular, he noted that an Italian snowboarder was allowed to compete with the Russian flag on his helmet, despite the fact that the symbols of the aggressor country are banned at the 2026 Games.
On February 12, Geraskevich was disqualified before his first run at the 2026 Olympic Games.
In response to this decision, the athlete appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, hoping to restore his right to participate in the competition.
Ukraine’s reaction and support for the athlete
The CAS decision caused a wide resonance in Ukraine. Vladislav Geraskevich was supported by representatives of the sports community, public figures, and government officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the athlete the Order of Freedom, noting his civic stance and courage.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
