Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya escaped on a flight from Haneda Airport to Minsk on Sunday and demanded protection from Japan, claiming that her team forced her to go home after she publicly complained about the decision made by the national coach.
The Japanese authorities and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that Zimanusskaya has been resettled Protected by Japan According to NBC reports, as of Monday, she had refused to board the plane to return home. The International Olympic Committee said in a tweet: “She told us she felt safe.”
Zimanusskaya was supposed to participate in Monday’s 200m preliminaries after participating in the women’s 100m preliminaries on Friday. The sprinter said that without her knowledge, the national team coach added her to the 4x400m relay that was originally scheduled to be held on Thursday. Because they did not complete the required doping tests, some of the original sprinters could not Fly to Tokyo.
and ReutersThe 24-year-old athlete further revealed that after she complained about the problem through a video she posted online, the head coach told her, “The above has already ordered me to be removed.”
Zimanusskaya was then ordered to pack up and was taken to Haneda Airport by the Belarusian Olympic team. She said that she had deleted the video.
According to the media report, the Belarusian Olympic Committee stated in a statement that due to her so-called “emotional and psychological state,” the coach decided to remove Zimanusskaya from the Tokyo Olympics on the advice of a doctor. However, the athlete denied this statement, saying that she had not been examined by a doctor and was in a “good mental state.”
The Belarusian sports news website Tribuna also quoted Tsimanouskaya as saying that although she is not afraid of being “kicked out of the national team,” she is worried about her safety. “I am afraid I might go to jail in Belarus“According to the report, Zimanusskaya said. The sprinter did not provide more details as to why she thought she might be put in jail when she returned home.
The suffering of Tsimanouskaya occurred as Belarus was still in a state of fierce discord after protesting against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko last year. At the rally last year, some athletes participated in protests against the Lukashenko regime. Lukashenko’s son Victor Lukashenko is also the chairman of the Belarusian Olympic Committee.
The issue of Tsimanouskaya’s refusal to board the plane home occurred about two months after the Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich Pulled out of a Ryanair flight and arrested in Minsk. Protasevic’s girlfriend was also arrested.
Protasevich’s flight was supposed to fly from Athens to Vilnius, but was forced to land in Minsk. Protasevich is known for publicly criticizing Lukashenko and his government. He was accused of organizing public disturbances.
At the same time, it is reported that Zimanusskaya is requesting the International Olympic Committee to investigate her case.According to sources from the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation, Zimanusskaya is now planning Apply for asylum Whether in Austria or Germany.
Aliaksandra Herasimenia, the head of the foundation, said that after the Polish consulate issued an appeal to many countries, it first responded and expressed its willingness to welcome Zimanusskaya.
Coronavirus concerns dominate preparations for the Tokyo Olympics
Photo: AFP/Chiba Konka
