Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych appeals his disqualification from the Winter Olympics, hoping for a favourable ruling from sport’s top court.

UKRAINIAN skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych expressed hope that “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 for refusing to stop wearing a helmet displaying pictures of Ukrainian sportspeople killed since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated Heraskevych failed “to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines,” which prohibit political gestures during competition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the decision, saying it “played into the hands of aggressors.”

After his CAS hearing, Heraskevych said he was “pretty positive about how it went.”

He added, “I’m really thankful for the opportunity to speak and we were treated equally at the hearing room and arguments were heard.”

The qualifying for his event occurred on Thursday, with the final scheduled for Friday, leaving his potential reinstatement unclear.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said, “Speculation on the outcome of the court case at this stage is not very helpful.”

IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer, met with Heraskevych on Thursday in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade him to change his helmet.

Coventry described their talk as “a very respectful conversation.”

She stated, however, that on political messages, “the rules are the rules as they stand today.”

 The Sun Malaysia