IOC Is The Ultimate Loser

A one minute read

The International Olympic Committee’s disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych from the Winter Olympics for “refusing to adhere” to the IOC’s athlete expression guidelines is a disgrace. It makes sense for the IOC to seek to minimize political discourse but let’s recognize that the Olympics has always carried with it a political context. Consider Hitler’s 1936 showcase in Berlin and the proxy political battles in the medal counts during the Cold War.

One could consider Heraskevych’s insistence on wearing his helmet featuring images of athletes killed during the war in Ukraine a political statement but even if you do, it is a mild one in comparison. I see it as an appropriate memorial to his fellow athletes and countrymen, marking their tragic deaths and a statement expressing the true spirit of the Olympic Games - seeking peace through competition in sport.

It’s a shame the IOC chose otherwise. By their ham-handed dealing with this, they have not silenced Heraskevych. They have amplified his message. There is a phenomenon called the Streisand effect that states that attempts to suppress or censor information backfire. The unintended consequence of such efforts draws significantly more public attention than there would have been if left alone. Ultimately the act of suppression makes the information more sensational or newsworthy, causing it to spread rapidly.

Heraskevych is now a much larger presence than just another Olympic athlete who, like the thousands of his fellow competitors, would have had his brief moment on the world stage. The IOC has assured he will be remembered along with American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos who famously raised their fists in a Black Power salute during the 200-meter medal ceremony at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.