The Sports Court rejected the request of Ukrainian skater Vladislav Herasevich to wear a “remembrance helmet”

Heraskiewicz’s appeal to Cass asked for the ban imposed on him to be overturned, so that he could wear the helmet and complete the two skeleton rounds he missed on Thursday under Cass’s supervision.

He said his exclusion was “disproportionate” and claimed other athletes were able to express their grief while competing at the Games.

For example, American figure skater Maxim Naumov uploaded a photo of his parents, who were killed last year in a plane crash in Washington, D.C., as he waited for his results earlier this week.

But the International Olympic Committee says Heraskiewicz violated “athletic expression” guidelines., externalwhich was drawn up in 2023 and is part of the Olympic Code, which states that “the focus at the Olympic Games must remain on the performance of the athletes.”

The law states: “It is a fundamental principle that sport at the Olympic Games should be neutral and should be separate from political, religious and any other kind of interference.”

Mark Adams, a spokesman for the International Olympic Committee, said on Thursday that if the committee allowed athletes to wear clothing in memory of those killed in war, it would open the Games to exploitation.

But Heraskevich accused the Milan-Cortina Games of amounting to “Russian propaganda” while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said…, external The International Olympic Committee “plays into the hands of the Russian aggressor.”

Heraskevich, who was his country’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony, received support from his compatriots at the Games with alpine skier Dmytro Chepyuk displaying a note reading “Ukrainian champions are with us” after the competition while the Ukrainian mixed relay team took a knee and held their helmets high in a show of solidarity.