From The Olympic Track To The FIFA World Cup 26 Pitch: The Legal Fault Line Over Athlete Expression - Above the Law

"Heraskevych was permitted to wear the helmet in training. He was offered the opportunity to display it off the ice. He was even offered the compromise of a black armband. What he was not permitted to do was wear it during official competition. According to the IOC and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, that violated the Olympic Charter and athlete expression guidelines prohibiting political statements on the field of play."

"The Field-of-Play Doctrine International sport relies on a regulatory premise that competition must remain "neutral." The IOC's Rule 50 framework and FIFA's regulations prohibiting political, religious, or personal statements on equipment or apparel during matches reflect that principle. Athletes and federations participate subject to contractual agreement with governing bodies. Those agreements incorporate expression restrictions. From a legal standpoint, sport federations generally retain authority to enforce those rules, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport has historically afforded substantial deference to governing bodies in matters of competition governance, provided the regulations are clear and applied consistently."

Vladyslav Heraskevych was removed from competition at the Milan-Cortina Games for refusing to remove a helmet honoring more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed in the war with Russia. The International Olympic Committee described the decision as made "with regret" and did not dispute the message’s substance, only its timing and location. Heraskevych was permitted to wear the helmet in training, display it off the ice, or use a black armband, but not during official races under the Olympic Charter and athlete-expression guidelines. The Field-of-Play Doctrine enforces competition neutrality, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport has afforded deference to federations when regulations are clear and consistently applied. The narrow legal distinction between training and competition warrants examination by other governing bodies such as FIFA ahead of World Cup 26.

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