Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the Belarusian athlete who fled during the Tokyo Games, can represent Poland – Liberation

A letter from the World Athletics Nationality Review Committee establishes that the sprinter can compete under the colors of the country that has hosted her for two years. Enough to allow him to participate in particular in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the Belarusian sprinter who defected during the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, has been cleared by the international athletics federation, World Athletics, to compete for Poland. A letter from the World Athletics Nationality Review Committee, shared by the sportswoman on Instagram, establishes that Krystsina Tsimanouskaya can represent the country which has hosted her for two years from August 6, 2023.

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya found herself at the heart of an international scandal during the Olympics, which she fled with the help of the IOC, the Japanese authorities and the Polish Embassy. The sprinter, who now resides in Poland, had strongly criticized her coaches after they asked her to participate in an event for which she had not trained. His presence was, according to them, made necessary in order to replace other Belarusian athletes deemed ineligible because of their country’s anti-doping program, pinned down because of its poor quality.

A big unpacking that put her in danger. “I posted a video on Instagram in which I criticized my coaches’ decision to put me in the 4x400m relay without informing me. The head coach ordered me to remove it, threatening me if I refused to comply, related the athlete during an interview with Liberation. He told me that he had received the order from the authorities to repatriate me to Belarus and that I could continue my sports career if no one heard from me for a few days. But I knew it was all wrong.

She then defected to Poland, saying she feared for her safety if she returned to Belarus. Poland granted him citizenship last year after initially granting him a humanitarian visa. And she can now wear the red and white jersey of the Polish selection. “I am extremely happy but I have strange emotions because everything happened so quickly and suddenly”, writes Krystsina Tsimanouskaya on Instagram, believing that there is “a chance that I will go to the world championships in Budapest “. The competition begins on August 19.

To grant the sprinter the right to represent another country, World Athletics decided to waive the normal three-year waiting period for sporting nationality changes. “The national review committee agreed to waive the 3-year waiting period from the date of application (12.06.23) on the grounds that the athlete represented BLR (Belarus, editor’s note) for the last July 30, 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics and the athlete has not competed in national representative competitions for two years,” the letter reads.

In addition to the world championships in Hungary, this decision opens the door to the sprinter’s participation in the Paris 2024 Games. Belarusians, like Russians, are currently not allowed to participate in international athletics competitions due to the invasion of Ukraine. Poles and Poles are welcome.