This Belarus According to reports, Olympic athlete Christina Zimanusskaya has been threatened for criticizing Olympic team officials and will be tied back to Minsk, so she has sought asylum in Poland.
On Monday, Zimanusskaya’s husband Arseniy Zdanevich (Arseniy Zdanevich) Confirmed to Sky News He has fled the country and is currently in Kiev. “I didn’t expect things to become so serious. I decided to leave without hesitation,” he told the TV station.
Tsimanouskaya, 24, was photographed arriving at the Polish Embassy in Tokyo on Monday, where she was reportedly seeking refuge from the pressure of officials to return. BelarusDmitry Navosha, a Belarusian sports journalist and member of the BSSF, stated that she will buy a ticket to Warsaw later this week.
“She has applied for political asylum in Poland,” BSSF Acting Director Alexander Opekin told Russian broadcaster Current Time. “She is very good. She manages very well and it is obvious that this is a pressure not only for athletes but also for anyone under such pressure. This is a young woman under pressure from experienced officials. “
The asylum application was filed hours after Tsimanouskaya suddenly withdrew from the game after criticizing the coach for “negligence”. She wrote on Instagram that they failed to conduct the necessary doping tests for her other athletes and then entered her ranks “behind her.” [her] Return” to enter the 4x400m relay race.
On Sunday, she was suddenly disqualified from the game and was taken to the airport by team officials.But Zimanusskaya Denied boarding Returning to Minsk and seeking police protection indicates that she may seek asylum in the west.
Incident shows how Alexander LukashenkoTightening control of Belarusian society has spread to the sports world, and dozens of athletes have even faced imprisonment or retaliation for cautious criticism of the government. These dramatic events are also reminiscent of the high-profile defections of Soviet athletes in international competitions during the Cold War, although there is no indication that Zimanusskaya does not intend to return to Belarus after the Olympics.
The leaked audio appeared to show that a Belarusian team coach and a member of the Belarusian delegation threatened Tsimanouskaya with revenge if she did not return to Belarus immediately.
“If you want to participate in the Belarusian competition again, then listen to my advice: go home, return to your parents, go anywhere,” said a voice reportedly belonging to a member of the Belarusian delegation. “Let this pass. Otherwise, the more you struggle, it will be like a fly entangled in a spider web: the more it spins, the more it gets entangled.”
Zimanusskaya could not be immediately contacted for comment or confirmation of the leaked audio.
But her decision to request asylum was confirmed by BSSF members and Navosha, an outstanding member of the Belarusian diaspora in Moscow.
“She was under tremendous pressure,” Navosa said. “These days are very difficult… She was under a very strong propaganda blow in Belarus. She received the news and was attacked on all national television stations. Her parents called her first and told her not to go home. Here. Terrible things are happening. We ask you not to return to Belarus.”
Some European countries offered to accept Zimanusskaya. Poland and the Czech Republic, which have been strongly criticizing the Lukashenko government, have provided asylum and the ability to continue participating in international sports competitions. She is said to have sought asylum in Germany or Austria. “She was thinking about where to go all night,” Navosa said. “We learned that most countries are Europe It was open… but in the end she decided to go to Warsaw. “
On Monday, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said that the IOC and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics had a direct conversation with Zimanusskaya and she spent the night at the airport hotel.
“We got in touch with her last night and this morning, She feels safe and secure“,” he said. “We have to take care of her first, and this is what we are doing. Overnight, she went to the police station with people from Tokyo 2020.I know the UN refugee agency [the UN refugee agency] Involved in it, the police are still dealing with this issue. “
When asked about the allegation of “kidnapping,” Adams said: “She was talking to the police at the airport. If there is a criminal case, it needs to be investigated, but this is a matter for the police.”
Belarus has closed its borders to most citizens seeking to travel abroad. It is not clear how Tsimanouskaya’s husband Arseniy left and went to Ukraine. In recent months, tens of thousands of activists have fled the country due to the suppression of Belarusian opposition politicians and non-governmental organizations, while demanding the allegiance of the state bureaucracy, including sports.
According to Human Rights Watch, as of June, more than 60 athletes, coaches and other people involved in sports have lost their jobs due to their participation in protests against the Lukashenko government and election fraud last year. More than 20 people, including a star basketball player, were detained.
