Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, upon arrival at the Polish embassy in Japan. /
Tokyo 2020 / Athletics
The decision is due to Krystsina Tsimanouskaya’s criticism of the Belarus Olympic Committee, led by the son of the nation’s president, for which the athlete fears being arrested upon his return
Poland has granted a humanitarian visa to Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the Belarusian Olympian who said her team tried to force her to leave Japan, the Polish Deputy Foreign Minister said Monday.
Tsimanouskaya “is already in direct contact with Polish diplomats in Tokyo. He received a humanitarian visa. Poland will do whatever it takes to help her continue her sports career, ”Marcin Przydacz wrote on Twitter.
Tsimanouskaya, a Belarusian sprinter who should have participated this morning in the first round of 200 meters, asked for help from the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 because her country wants to force her to leave Japan for criticism of the Belarusian Olympic Committee, led by the president’s son of the nation. Her great fear is to return home and end up in jail. “They are trying to get me out of the country without my permission and I am asking the IOC to get involved,” was Tsimanouskaya’s declaration of aid yesterday, a matter in which the Olympic movement has decided to take action on the matter.
“Both the IOC and the organization have spoken directly with Krystsina Tsimanouskaya. She is with the authorities at Haneda airport and is currently accompanied by a Tokyo 2020 staff member. She has told us that she feels safe, ”the IOC reported via social media this morning. The IOC and Tokyo 2020 will continue their conversations with Tsimanouskaya and the authorities to determine the next steps in the coming days, “they added from the IOC in their statement regarding Tsimanouskaya’s appeal for help.
Relations between the IOC and Belarus have long been complex and in December, the Olympic body sanctioned both the country’s president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, and his son and president of the Belarusian Committee, Víktor Lukashenko. The two were banned from attending these Games after studying various complaints from athletes and accusing them of political discrimination and pressure.
In the case of Tsimanouskaya, Belarus decided to withdraw her from the competition because of her “emotional and psychological state”, and demanded that she return to her country. And all after the criticism and the fact that it was known that he had begun to prepare the procedures to request asylum in Europe.
The sprinter explained that it was her coach who entered her room at five in the morning with the order to take her out of the hotel and send her to Haneda airport to return to Belarus. “I am not afraid of being thrown out of the national team, I am afraid that they may imprison me. Officials say that the order to get rid of me came from above, “the sprinter came to say days before the scandal that was generated in the Tokyo Games broke out.
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