"It's really special for me because I can see my flag on my friends who arrived here. Maybe now I can't believe it, and I don't understand what happened. Maybe a little bit later I [will] see my gold medal. It's so special for me really."
"A ban on Russian participation had been effective since 2014 after sanctions were applied first in 2018 over the Russian doping scandal then in 2022 over the invasion of Ukraine. The latter ban was imposed, according to the IPC, not in direct response to the invasion but due to a technical breach of rules relating to the use of paralympic sport as military propaganda."
Varvara Voronchikhina, a 23-year-old Russian alpine skier, claimed gold in the women's super-G standing event at the Milan-Cortina Paralympics, finishing 1.96 seconds ahead of French competitor Aurelie Richard. The victory marked a historic moment as the Russian national anthem was played for the first time since 2014, following a ban on Russian participation that began in 2014 and was reinforced by sanctions in 2018 and 2022. The ban was lifted following a vote at the International Paralympic Committee's general assembly in September. Voronchikhina's emotional victory was celebrated by Russia's sports minister, though the international crowd responded with polite applause rather than enthusiasm.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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