Ukrainian athlete pulls out of Beijing 2022 after father captured by Russia

Ukraine's Anastasiia Laletina pulled out of the middle-distance biathlon event at the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing following her father's capture by Russian military forces, Report informs, citing foreign media.

The Ukrainian Paralympic Committee has revealed that the 19-year-old was withdrawn from the competition but will remain in Zhangjiakou until the end of the Games before flying to Poland with the rest of the delegation.

"Her father is a soldier in the Ukrainian army and was taken prisoner by Russian soldiers," a spokesperson for the Ukrainian team said, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

"They beat him."

The 19-year-old did not start Tuesday's (March 8) middle-distance race as a consequence, and it remains to be seen if she will participate in the long-distance biathlon competition tomorrow.

The homes of an assistant coach and another Ukrainian biathlete, Dmytro Suiarko, are further reported to have been destroyed by Russian shelling.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games will end on March 13. Currently, Ukraine ranks third in the overall team standings with 6 gold, 8 silver, and 5 bronze medals. China is in first place with 10 gold, 9 silver, and 13 bronze medals, followed by Canada with 7 gold, 2 silver, and 7 bronze medals. Due to military intervention, athletes from Russia and Belarus were expelled from the Games.