Coventry shows fresh approach in the face of Olympic crisis while holding firm to the rules

MILAN, Feb 12 : International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry navigated the first significant political test of her young reign in the dispute over Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych’s helmet, showing a new approach to the challenge of limiting institutional damage in the face of crisis.

The decision to disqualify Heraskevych for competing in a helmet honouring athletes killed during Russia’s invasion placed Coventry at the centre of an early confrontation between the Olympic movement’s claim of political neutrality and the realities of a war that continues to intrude on sport. 

The IOC's ruling drew criticism from Ukraine, with the country's sports minister Matvii Bidnyi telling Reuters the decision was wrong. 

Yet in her first Games in charge, Coventry — a former Olympic swimming champion from Zimbabwe who succeeded Thomas Bach last June — will hope to have contained a crisis that cut directly to the IOC’s credibility and its handling of geopolitical conflict.

The episode also offered an early window into how she intends to exercise authority compared with her mentor and predecessor Bach. 

Where the German often relied on dense institutional process and carefully layered diplomacy to defuse flashpoints, Coventry's handling suggested a more personal, hands-on style — moving quickly to engage directly with the athlete while allowing the disciplinary machinery to run its course.

 As much as the IOC tries to keep politics away from the Olympics, athletes do try to use the Games as a platform for political statements, and so it was again in Italy when Heraskevych announced he would race with his 'helmet of remembrance', despite repeated warnings from the IOC that such a move would violate Games rules and