Elite figure skaters on the way back from a training camp were among the passengers of the plane that crashed after colliding with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night.

U.S. Figure Skating confirmed to NPR that “several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342.” The flight departed from Wichita, which had hosted several high-profile skating events in recent days.

“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” it added.

The 2025 Prevagen Figure Skating Championships — a final qualifier for the U.S. World and Junior Championship teams — ran from Jan. 20 through Jan. 26.

It was immediately followed by the National Development Camp, which the governing body describes as a three-day educational program for top-performing juvenile, intermediate and novice athletes that aims to “accelerate their exposure to High Performance Programs and Team USA.”

Several American figure skaters have offered their prayers and condolences in the wake of the tragedy, including defending world champion Ilia Malinin, who won his third consecutive national title in Wichita on Sunday.

“Praying that everyone is ok,” Malinin wrote on his Instagram story.

Authorities said Thursday morning that they do not believe anyone survived the crash. It is not clear how many of the plane’s 60 passengers came from the skating community.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said in a statement that some on board may have been Olympians.

“On behalf of the IOC, and personally, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to all those affected, which we understand may include Olympians, young athletes, and their support staff,” he said. “Our thoughts are with all the victims, their families and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”

The Kremlin said Thursday that Russian figure skaters were on the flight as well.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to reporters that Russian World Champions — and husband and wife — Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were on board.

“Yes, we see that the sad news is true. And there were other of our citizens,” said Peskov, whose wife is a champion figure skater herself. “It’s bad news out of Washington.”

Naumov and Shishkova were on both the Soviet and Russian figure skating teams and won the World Championships in pairs figure skating in 1994.

They moved to the U.S. in 1998 and appear to have stayed involved in the sport: They are both listed as coaches on the Skating Club of Boston website.