Returning Russia celebrates first gold in Milano Cortina

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, March 9 : Russia on Monday celebrated its return to the Paralympics with a gold medal when skier Varvara Voronchikhina won the women's Super-G standing race.

Russia and neighbour Belarus, both banned from Paralympic competitions after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, were readmitted by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) last  September following a vote by the body's general assembly.

The Russian team had previously been suspended from the Paralympics because of a doping scandal and last competed under their own flag when they hosted the Games at Sochi in 2014.

Craig Spence, the IPC's chief brand and communications officer, sought to play down the political significance of the result, saying it had been received in a respectful fashion by fellow athletes and spectators.

"I think the crowd were receptive to the medal win; they just saw an athlete. I think that's what's really important here; they just saw an athlete at a sporting event winning a gold medal," he told a news conference.

The IPC decision to readmit Russia has caused outrage in Ukraine and a number of countries boycotted the athletes' parade at the opening ceremony in Verona on Friday in protest.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev swiftly offered his congratulations to Voronchikhina.

"Well done! The Russian national anthem is playing," he wrote on Telegram in a message featuring emojis of the Russian coat of arms and flag.

A video posted on Telegram showed Voronchikhina saying "Mum, I did it!" to the camera, before bursting into tears.

Spence said the IPC had been prepared for the Russians to take a place at the top of the podium at the Games.

"When our members took the democratic decision in September, to lift the partial