Russian cross-country skiing star Alexander Bolshunov is facing heavy criticism following his appearance at a controversial rally in Moscow. The event on March 18, was held at the Luzhniki Stadium to mark the eighth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and featured president Vladimir Putin praising the recent invasion of Ukraine. Ad/> Bolshunov, who won five medals at Beijing 2022 including three golds, was pictured at the rally alongside fellow sports stars, understood to include — as reported by Inside the Games — figure skaters Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov… /> Winter SportsTEST MULTI WINTER PASS10/01/2022 AT 12:27 Some of the athletes pictured displayed the controversial ‘Z’ symbol, which is considered to be linked to the Russian military involved in the offensive, however, Bolshunov was reportedly not among those.