Britain's skeleton team are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for sport (Cas) after being told their new helmets don't meet requirements due to their shape. The British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) said the helmet was designed with safety in mind, but the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has ruled that it doesn't comply.
The team won the World Cup gold last season with Matt Weston taking overall title and Marcus Wyatt finishing second. However, the team switched to a new design for this season, which is set to start later this year. The IBSF rules state that helmets must not have any aerodynamic elements attached.
Despite being told they cannot use their helmets in competition, the British team has appealed to Cas, with the decision expected on Friday. Team GB's skeleton athletes will be racing in Italy from February 12-22 and are hoping to perform well despite the helmet issue.
Team GB is confident that its athletes can still win medals using either helmet, as they have proven themselves in training sessions last week. The helmets underwent checks before being deemed non-compliant with IBSF rules.
The team won the World Cup gold last season with Matt Weston taking overall title and Marcus Wyatt finishing second. However, the team switched to a new design for this season, which is set to start later this year. The IBSF rules state that helmets must not have any aerodynamic elements attached.
Despite being told they cannot use their helmets in competition, the British team has appealed to Cas, with the decision expected on Friday. Team GB's skeleton athletes will be racing in Italy from February 12-22 and are hoping to perform well despite the helmet issue.
Team GB is confident that its athletes can still win medals using either helmet, as they have proven themselves in training sessions last week. The helmets underwent checks before being deemed non-compliant with IBSF rules.
so i feel bad for the british bobsleigh team... their new helmets are meant to be safer and all but the ibsf is like super strict about it... i mean, you gotta follow the rules or what? 
they're still gonna do great in competition tho, team gb's got talented athletes and they've already shown they can win with those old helmets lol. i just hope cas makes a fair decision for them this friday 
. I mean, helmets have been around forever and nobody ever had an issue with them before. It's not like they're going to let one little non-compliance ruin their whole season 
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. They've won medals with these same helmets last year and now they're suddenly not allowed? Come on! 
Their new helmets don't even meet the requirements because of their shape? That's like, super weird. I mean, I guess safety is important and all that, but come on! Can't they just tweak the design a bit to make it comply? 
They were on fire last season and won the World Cup gold, so I think they'll still do well. And let's be real, their athletes have already proven themselves in training sessions, so I trust them to figure out a way to win medals with or without the new helmets 
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. I mean, you'd think the IBSF would be more understanding, especially since their athletes are about to hit speeds of over 90mph on ice! 
The new design was meant for safety, not some arbitrary rule that just doesn't make sense. And now they're appealing to Cas? It feels like a waste of time if you ask me 
. But hey, I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out... fingers crossed for Team GB! 
the ibsf rules arent exactly rocket science, its just helmet design 
maybe cas will see sense and let them compete with their helmets 
or maybe not...only time will tell 
It's like the whole thing is just one big headache...
. So the Brits got their new helmets and they're like "yeah, no problem" but then the IBSF's all "nope, those suckers don't meet our safety standards" 
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But it's also making me think about the importance of meeting standards and regulations in our pursuit of excellence. Like, if safety wasn't a top priority when designing those helmets, did the BBSA really consider the bigger picture?
It's like we're all learning together - as athletes and as individuals - that sometimes you gotta follow the rules to reach your goals. 
The team has proven in training sessions that those helmets are safe and they can compete with the best. I'm not sure why Cas needs to get involved at all. 
It's just another way for them to delay the start of the season. 
It's all a bit of a drag, you know?
But, man, these new regulations just feel like a bit of an overkill... 
it's such a bummer for the athletes who have worked so hard. fingers crossed cas sees sense and lets 'em back in