A Ukrainian skier has withdrawn from the Olympic games in Sochi to protest the deaths of anti-government protesters in her country.
Twenty-four-year-old Bogdana Matsotska said she did not want to compete while people in her country are dying in Kyiv's Independence Square.
She said she would not ski in Friday's slalom, her third and best event at the Sochi Olympics. Her father, who coaches her, supports the decision.
Matsotska blames Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych and his government for the violence. At least 50 people have been killed and scores injured in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Meanwhile, Kyiv Mayor Volodymyr Makeyenko has quit President Yanukovych's Party of Regions. He said he would do everything possible to stop the bloodshed in the country's capital.
Some see the move as a sign that loyalists are abandoning Mr. Yanukovych as the crisis rolls on.
Twenty-four-year-old Bogdana Matsotska said she did not want to compete while people in her country are dying in Kyiv's Independence Square.
She said she would not ski in Friday's slalom, her third and best event at the Sochi Olympics. Her father, who coaches her, supports the decision.
Matsotska blames Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych and his government for the violence. At least 50 people have been killed and scores injured in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Meanwhile, Kyiv Mayor Volodymyr Makeyenko has quit President Yanukovych's Party of Regions. He said he would do everything possible to stop the bloodshed in the country's capital.
Some see the move as a sign that loyalists are abandoning Mr. Yanukovych as the crisis rolls on.