Belarusian sprinter Refuge in the Polish Embassy In order to avoid being tied up on the plane returning to Minsk, she recounted her dramatic experience, telling Belarusians “don’t be afraid, if they are under pressure, please speak up.”
Olympic athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya (Krystsina Tsimanouskaya) received diplomatic protection in Poland this week and said in her first press conference that her grandmother told her over the phone that she was accused of being a traitor on TV. After calling her, she decided not to return to Belarus. For “mental illness” Criticizing the coach’s “negligence”.
“She told me I can’t go back Belarus,” 24-year-old Zimanusskaya told reporters.
When her coach pressured her to return to Minsk by plane, she sought police protection at Haneda Airport in Japan, where she used Google Translate to show a request for help to Japanese officials.
When she decided where to go, she said that her parents in Belarus suggested Poland Because it is easy for them to get a visa to visit her. Her husband, who is also an athlete, fled Belarus late last week and is expected to reunite with Tsimanouskaya in Warsaw today.
Zimanusskaya basically avoided discussing politics at the press conference. She said that participating in the Olympics was her “dream”. She just wanted the coach to take the responsibility of letting her participate in games that she had not participated in.
“I am shocked that this situation has become a political scandal,” Zimanusskaya said. “This situation is only related to sports.”
At a press conference in Warsaw, she was flanked by former Minister of Culture Pavel Latushko (Pavel Latushko), now the opposition party. He said that when negotiating with EU countries to ensure her safe departure from Japan, “there was no word about politics.”
He also helped Tsimanouskaya avoid questions about the leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, And his suppression of the opposition, calling her “out of politics.”
The scandal shook the Olympics and led to an investigation by the International Olympic Committee, which could lead to sanctions on Belarus’ participation in international sports.
“See the athlete Krystsina #齐MANUSKAYA Arrived in Poland safely,” Joseph Borel, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, wrote on Twitter. “However, due to the actions of the Lukashenko regime and the violation of the Olympic Truce Agreement, a more proud Belarusian was forced to flee. Own country. “
Tsimanouskaya did not rule out the possibility of returning to Belarus in the future, but stated that she would only go “when I am safe there”. In an interview with the Associated Press earlier this week, she said that after criticizing her coach for failing to conduct doping tests for members of the Belarusian relay team, she felt that she would be punished if she returned to Minsk.
This legendary incident shows how the Belarusian repression makes any criticism of the country’s officials extremely dangerous, even if it is limited to professional issues related to sports.
“I can say that I always express my opinions publicly,” she said on Thursday when asked if she has freedom of speech in Belarus. “But you must always pay attention to your words, so as not to cause consequences. Yes, in Belarus, not just me, everyone is afraid of saying the wrong thing.”
She said that she hopes to return to the Olympics, and said: “I just want to participate in the Olympics. This is my dream.”
Although avoiding politics to a large extent, she said at her first press conference: “We are running free, and Belarus will be free.”
