Ukrainian skating player Vladislav Geraskevych, who was banned from participating in the Winter Olympics, expressed his dissatisfaction with the appearance of Italian athlete Roland Vishnaller wearing a helmet bearing the “Russian flag.”
Geraskevich’s objection came after he himself was suspended because of his intention to wear a helmet bearing the names of Ukrainian athletes who lost their lives in the war, which the International Olympic Committee considered a violation of its regulations.
He stated in statements reported by the “Новини.Live” website that he also noticed the presence of many Russian flags in the stands during his participation, and added that no penalties or exclusion were imposed on the player or the fans, to his knowledge, despite what he described as a violation of the rules of the “International Olympic Committee.”
Geraskiewicz had previously submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision to suspend him, demanding that he be allowed to make “two attempts” under the supervision of the court to make up for the two “rounds” in which he was unable to participate.
Reports issued on February 8 indicate that Vishnaller participated in a helmet that included the flags of all the host countries in which he had participated since 2002, including the “Russian flag.” (Russia Today)
