Great Britain skeleton hopes hit by potential helmet ban before Winter Olympics

Great Britain’s hopes of winning multiple skeleton medals at the Winter Olympics have been hit by a potential helmet ban just days before the start of competition in Milan and Cortina.

The British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a decision by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) to outlaw the team’s new helmets, that they were set to unveil for the Games.

The BBSA is challenging the IBSF’s ruling that the helmets, which feature aerodynamic ridges, are not compliant with the sport’s existing regulations.

A CAS Ad Hoc Division panel is due to hold a hearing on Thursday, one day before the opening ceremony and just over a week before the men’s competition is due to start on February 12.

The Press Association understands the BBSA, who trialled the new helmets in training in Switzerland last week, are relaxed about the hearing, and will revert to the equipment used during their highly successful World Cup season if it goes against them.

It is not the first time the British skeleton team’s equipment for the Games has come up for close scrutiny.

In 2010, moments after Amy Williams’ gold medal run, the US and Canadian teams lodged a protest alleging the small ridges on her aerodynamic helmet were illegal. The protest was thrown out and Williams accused her detractors of “sour grapes”.

At the 2018 Games, medallists Lizzy Yarnold, Laura Deas and Dom Parsons wore specialised skin suits featuring drag-resistant ridges, whose legality was also questioned by rival teams.

World champion Matt Weston and team-mate Marcus Wyatt split all seven of this season’s World Cup gold medals between them, while they also topped the mixed team standings, and both Tabby Stoecker and Amelia Coltman won medals in the women’s competition.