Winter Olympics 2026: Skeleton team GB appeals after helmets ruled unsafe

The British skeleton team enjoyed a successful 2024-25 season, with Matt Weston winning overall World Cup gold and Marcus White taking silver winning all seven races between them.

That success came with a different helmet, and BBSA told BBC Sport that the helmet it was hoping to use for the Games in Italy was a new design for the 2026-27 season, which starts at the end of the year.

She said she tried to be “innovative” with the new design, which she believes is “in line with current rules.”

She said that the new helmet was designed to comply with the new rules imposed by FIFA for the 2026-2027 season, which aim to improve safety, and that it has been proven to be safer than any other helmets being used.

The rules specify the safety standards that helmets must meet and have requirements about the shape. For example, the helmet should not contain any additional aerodynamic elements.

The team wore the new helmets last week during a training session in Switzerland, but also brought the old helmets to Cortina.

At the 2010 Olympics, the United States and Canada filed a protest moments after British athlete Amy Williams won the gold medal, claiming that the small bumps on her helmet were illegal, but the protest was rejected.

At the 2018 Olympics, British medalists Lizzie Yarnold, Laura Dees and Dom Parsons wore specialist leather suits featuring drag-resistant edges, the legality of which was also questioned by competing teams.

Weston is the favorite for gold in Cortina, with the men’s event starting on February 12 and the women’s on February 13.