Youth Olympics ceremony performer improving after horror fall - IOC

The condition of a figure skater seriously injured during practice for the opening ceremony of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games has improved, Olympic chief Thomas Bach said Thursday. The skater was taken to hospital and her life was "in danger" after a heavy fall Tuesday during the practice session, Swiss police said.

The skater, a 35-year-old Russian who lives in Germany, fell five meters (16 feet) onto the ice during final preparations at the Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, where the youth Games ceremony will open later Thursday. "We have been told that her condition has improved a little," Bach told a press conference.

Police said that the skater was attached to rings above the ice when the accident happened, causing "serious injuries."