The pair are to be coached by Ander Mirambell.

"In the skeleton world, Belgium and Brazil are small players, so it is better to join forces," Meylemans said.

Meylemans won Belgium's first skeleton World Cup medal when she placed third in Innsbruck last November.

Beijing 2022 was Meylemans' second Olympics but her preparations were badly disrupted after she recorded a positive COVID-19 test on arrival in China and was transferred to an isolation facility.

After protests and a tearful post on social media, she was eventually permitted to return to the Athletes' Village where she was treated as a close contact but allowed to train.

Meylemans was critical of the quarantine provisions made by the authorities and eventually finished 18th.

Silveira, taking part in her first Olympics, placed 13th.

The pair had met on the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Cup circuit and revealed their personal relationship with social media posts last Christmas.

They are calling themselves "Team BB" and will be coached by Mirambell, who competed for Spain in skeleton at the last four Winter Olympics and carried the Spanish flag in Beijing.

"Nicole and I agreed to really connect our individual teams and the knowledge in them, as one team we’re convinced we can achieve more," Meylemans insisted.

Whistler in Canada is due to stage the first World Cup race for the pair on November 24.