The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it had "denied an application by Skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych (Ukraine) against the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)."
CAS Secretary-General Matthieu Reeb told reporters after the hearing in Milan that the court had "found that freedom of expression is guaranteed at the Olympic Games, but not on the field of play, which is a sacred principle."
Gestures of a political nature during competition are forbidden under the Olympic charter and the IOC said Heraskevych had failed "to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines".