The IOC suspended its investigation into Olympic shot putter Raven Saunders' podium protest after her mother suddenly died

• Team USA Olympic shot putter Raven Saunders' mother has died.
• The International Olympic Committee said that it would suspend its investigation into Saunders' podium protest "for the time being."
• The organization said Team USA is helping Saunders return home.

The International Olympic Committee has suspended its investigation into Team USA shot putter Raven Saunders' podium protest after she revealed on social media that her mother had suddenly died.

Saunders, who won a silver medal in shot put at the Tokyo Games, raised her hands in an "X" gesture while on the podium over the weekend - a gesture she later said represented "the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet."

Saunders' relatives told WCBD in South Carolina on Tuesday that Clarissa Saunders had died this week while in Orlando, Florida, where she was attending a watch party to celebrate her daughter's appearance at the Olympics.

The circumstances behind Clarissa Saunders' death are not known publicly.

Saunders said on Twitter that she was stepping away from social media for the time being to take care of her mental health and her family in the wake of her mother's death.

"My mama was a great woman and will forever live through me. My number one guardian angel," she wrote. "I will always and forever love you.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the organization was suspending its investigation into Saunders' podium gesture "for the time being."

"The IOC obviously extends its condolences to Raven and her family. [The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee has] informed us that she is being looked after and will be returning home," he said at the briefing, according to CNN.