Skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych late on Monday said he had returned to Ukraine after being excluded from the Olympic competitions. In a video posted on X, the 27-year-old appeared to record himself in darkness in central Kiev.

Six Russians and four Belarusians will be allowed to compete at the upcoming Games in Milan. It will be the first time the Russian flag has flown at the Paralympics since 2014.

Winter Olympians from Ukraine and the United States have received criticism for weighing in on political issues during the Games.

Burgener’s debut with the Brazilian team this year coincided with that of Alpine ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, whose gold medal Saturday earned South America its first-ever medal in a Winter Olympics. Pinheiro Braathen until 2023 competed for Norway, switching to Brazil last season and adding his mother’s surname.

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych will not competeafter refusing a last-minute plea from the IOC to use a helmet other than the one that honors more than 20 of his country's athletes and coaches killed in the war with Russia.