Olympic Games 2018: Winter Games in Pyeongchang without Olympic Champion Podladtchikov

Snowboard Olympic champion Iouri Podladtchikov from Switzerland canceled his participation in the Olympic Games on the day of the opening ceremony as a result of a serious crash.

After a training session on Friday, the superstar said he could “say with certainty that a start and participation in the Olympic Games is in no way safe and responsible”. He will start his journey home on Saturday.

The gold medallist in the halfpipe of Sochi 2014 had settled on 28. When I received this diagnosis, it was clear to me that participating in the Olympic Games would be a very big risk to my health,”said Podladtchikov.

Investigations have shown that he is making progress,”but my condition is far from stable enough to be able to snowboard at a level required for such a competition,”Podladtchikov explained his retreat.