The exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya has described the case of the Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya as an “attempted kidnapping”.
The athlete Tsimanouskaya was apparently due to be flown home early from the Olympic Games in Tokyo against her will on Sunday evening after she publicly criticized her country’s sports officials. The 24-year-old said she was brought to the airport by representatives of the national team. There she sought protection from the police so as not to have to get on the plane.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently stated that the athlete was “in the care of the authorities” and had spent the night in a hotel at the airport. In addition, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) intervened in the case.
Tsimanouskaya, who was due to compete in the 200-meter run on Monday, told Reuters that she had no plans to return to her country. She sought the protection of the Japanese police at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport so that she would not have to take the flight on late Sunday evening.
One spread on Twitter Video from Tokyo airport, on which several Olympic volunteers and police officers can be seen. When asked whether she was afraid of flying to Belarus, Tsimanouskaya answered “yes”.
Asylum in Poland or Austria is conceivable
The sprinter then asked the IOC for help. “There is pressure on me. They are trying to take me out of the country without my permission. I ask the IOC to tune in, ”Tsimanouskaya said in a video the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) posted on Telegram. The group supports athletes who are persecuted for their political views.
Opposition leader Tichanovskaya called on the IOC to look into the athlete’s case. “She has a right to international protection and to continue participating in the Olympic Games,” tweeted Tichanovskaya. “It is also vital that the Belarusian National Olympic Committee investigate violations of athletes’ rights.”
BSSF Director Alexander Apeikin confirmed to SPIEGEL that Tsimanouskaya had found protection with the police and now wanted to apply for political asylum in Austria or Poland. Upon request, the International Olympic Committee informed SPIEGEL that the IOC had contacted the athlete and that the NOC had “asked for clarification.”
IOC had already sanctioned Belarus in December
Tsimanouskaya had already taken part in the preliminaries over 100 meters on Friday and should also start over the 200 meters on Monday. She had complained about her use in the 4×400 meter relay after some members of the team were not eligible for the Olympic Games due to a lack of doping tests. As a result, there was a campaign against them in the Belarusian media.
“Some of our girls didn’t fly here to take part in the 4×400 meter relay because they didn’t pass enough drug tests,” Tsimanouskaya told Reuters at the airport. “And the trainer accepted me into the relay without my knowledge. I’ve spoken about it publicly. The head coach came up to me and said there had been an order from above to remove me. “
