Winter Paralympics star revealed birth defects were linked to Chernobyl disaster Oksana Masters, a decorated Paralympic athlete, has shared how her severe birth defects were likely caused by radiation exposure from the Chernobyl disaster. The 36-year-old, who has won 22 Paralympic medals, was born with multiple physical abnormalities, including six toes, missing bones in her legs, webbed hands, and the absence of a kidney and right bicep. Her condition, which she described as “not normal” until she moved to the United States, was later attributed to her mother’s proximity to the Chernobyl nuclear site. Masters was raised in a Ukrainian orphanage after being abandoned at birth. She was adopted by a professor in New York and eventually moved to the U.S., where doctors connected her medical issues to radiation exposure. “They linked it to Chernobyl because I was really not that far from there, and the fact that radiation levels continued to rise years after the explosion,” she explained. She recalled that the orphanage’s village had a nearby power plant, and during high radiation periods, a police officer would warn residents to stay indoors. Her early life was marked by medical interventions. At age nine, she underwent surgery to remove her impaired left leg, becoming a double amputee by 10. She later had multiple surgeries on her hands, which were described as webbed with no thumbs. Despite these challenges, Masters found a path in sports. She began adaptive rowing at 16 and won her first Paralympic medal, a bronze, in 2012. She later transitioned to cross-country skiing, earning medals in Sochi and PyeongChang, and expanded her career to include biathlon and cycling. Masters’ achievements have made her Team USA’s most decorated disabled athlete. In 2022, she won her first Paralympic gold in biathlon in Beijing.#ukraine #new_york #oksana_masters #chernobyl_disaster #paralympics
Ukrainian Delegation Banned from Wearing National Flag at Paralympics The Ukrainian delegation has been prohibited from wearing their national flag on the Paralympics, with their uniforms featuring a map of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including all temporarily occupied territories. Sushkевич, a representative, stated that the design of the Ukrainian athletes' uniforms is beautiful, symbolic, and clearly conveys that Ukraine exists in the world and Europe with all its territories, free from Russian occupation. The uniform design was created by Ukrainian designer Viktor Anisimov, who also crafted the uniforms for the Ukrainian team at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games. Notably, ten countries, aside from Ukraine, have decided to boycott the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games on Friday, March 6, in Verona, as a protest against the participation of Russian athletes under their national flag. Meanwhile, several other delegations may also skip the event due to travel restrictions imposed following attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Iran. Countries planning to miss the ceremony include the Czech Republic, Croatia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, according to Craig Spence, head of branding and communications at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Germany was added to the list earlier. The Winter Paralympic Games will take place in Milan and Cortina from March 5 to 16, with Ukraine sending 35 participants to compete in four sports. Please highlight the relevant section of the text and press Ctrl+Enter. Please highlight the relevant section of the text and press Report an error.#ukraine #paralympics #international_paralympic_committee #victor_anisimov #craig_spence
