Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych came to the Milan Cortina Games with a helmet honouring friends who died in the Russian invasion. Now, Heraskevych has been disqualified from competition for it.Aijaz Rahi/The Associated Press/The Associated Press
The International Olympic Committee is renowned for its ability to be both the driver of the world’s sports agenda, as well as the thing that runs over it. Pick a hot sports topic. The IOC has somehow messed it up.
However, their handling of the fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine may surpass all previous screw-ups.
That issue went turbo on Thursday after the disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych.
Heraskevych was due to compete on Thursday. He made global news after announcing he intended to wear a helmet decorated with the images of friends who have died in the war with Russia. Officials instructed him to change helmets. He refused. Now he has been expelled.
Ukraine’s Heraskevych disqualified from Olympic skeleton competition over banned helmet
Through spokesperson Mark Adams, the IOC said, “The Games need to be separated from all types of interference so that all athletes can concentrate on their performances.”
This is the same body that banned Russia for what exactly? Being martially aggressive? If that’s the bar, why is the U.S.A. here? Or is the IOC in the business of body counts? If so, what’s the limit on that? Exactly how many people can any nation kill before its invitation to global track and field day is rescinded?
There is no good armed conflict, which is why the Olympics is meant to be removed from judging such a thing. Heraskevych was testing the limits of that resolve. Good for him. That’s what activists do – push power until it pushes back. He was already a Ukrainian hero before being banned. Now he will become a global icon of resistance.
The International Olympic Committee says the helmet depicting images of his friends who died in the war violated rules on political statements at the Games.
Reuters
It’s clear from statements made here that the IOC intends to readmit Russia in the near future. This year’s Olympics were meant to be a soft peddling of that idea.
“We all agree that sport needs to remain neutral,” new IOC boss Kirsty Coventry said in the lead-in to Milan. “Now, how are we going to implement that, and what does that look like?”
I don’t know. Not this.
Adams, the IOC’s long-time main spokesperson, is never flustered. At Thursday’s morning media briefing, he appeared flustered. “We would agree that remembrance is not a crime. There’s even a place of remembrance in the athletes village to try to give people a space to do that,” said Adams. “It also highlights, in another sense, the difference. This is a display. We’ve asked for it probably not to be done again. I won’t be able to confirm that now. It’s a spontaneous display. The difference is that [Heraskevych’s] was a deliberate act, after many attempts at compromise. Sport without rules cannot function.”
I’m sorry, what? We are once again reminded that no one is more confusing to people than themselves.
There is no space free of politics, but the core mission of the Olympics is to create one. They hold a Games no matter what. Nothing short of global conflagration can stop that.
Everyone who wants to come, should, but leave your slogans at home. If you can’t do that, no need to show up. Boycott if you’d like. If so, you’re still welcome the next time, or however long it takes you to return.
That they will fail every time should not interfere with the attempt.
Heraskevych was informed of his disqualification after a meeting with IOC President Kirsty Coventry early in the morning at the sliding venue, shortly before the start of his competition.
Reuters
By banning Russia, the IOC opened the door for Heraskevych and other righteous dissenters to stick a whole leg through. His act may or may not have been technically illegal – the IOC is having trouble explaining why. The thing that actually got him into hot water was highlighting the hypocrisy of the system.
The sensible thing to do would have been to ignore him, let someone else take the bullet by complaining, and act after his event. At that point, you can make a specific rule. No more of this ad hoc stuff.
Instead, the IOC chose reactionism. That only encourages civil disobedience. Now they’re white knuckling to the finish of these Games, hoping no one else develops an urge to sport martyrdom.
Whether or not you agree with his approach, you have to give it to Heraskevych. Amidst all the usual sports jibber jabber about bravery and sacrifice, we have finally been shown the real thing. He gave up his chance of a lifetime rather than submit.
What cannot be said aloud by the IOC is that the proximate cause of the whole saga – from banning Russia to the current handling of Heraskevych – wasn’t the illegal thrust toward Kyiv in 2022. It was the possibility that the Paralympics in Beijing would fall apart.
The IOC had already collected the sponsorship and broadcast money. The athletes and VIPs were already there, or arriving. It was COVID, and everyone had been deeply inconvenienced. So why take the risk that your party would need to be cancelled? Now we’re seeing why.
I know who I think the good guys and bad guys are, but I don’t think my list should determine anything. I am definitely not interested in the list hammered out by the speaks-power-to-truth crew that makes up the IOC leadership.
For now, Heraskevych becomes the shadow over the Milan Games. Every move the IOC makes on Russia from now on, his name will be invoked.
Heraskevych came here hoping to tell a story. He wasn’t a lock for a medal, and wasn’t guaranteed a platform from which to tell it. So he planned to do so with the means available to him – his own body. I cannot come up with something more symbolically Olympic.
Until a few hours ago, it wasn’t really working. His was a minor story, barely an item in everyone’s Olympic blog. Then the bureaucrats and nitpickers came blundering into frame.
I’ll say this much for the IOC – they’ve come up with a fresh take on the sports fairy tale. By robbing an athlete of his Olympic dream, they ensured that he won.