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Pavel Burian

August 2, 2021 Celebrity

Belarus runner Tsimanouskaya refuses 'forced' flight home

Belarus runner Tsimanouskaya refuses 'forced' flight home - Czech Points

Belarusian runner Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has received a Polish humanitarian visa at the Olympic venue and is in direct contact with diplomats in Tokyo. This was announced on Twitter by the Deputy Polish Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz. On Sunday, the athlete refused to fly back to her homeland, which, according to her, forced her to lead the Belarusian expedition against her will. She spent the night in a hotel at the airport, then at the Polish embassy. Today she was to start in the 200-meter run, instead she had further talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which also requested a detailed opinion from the Belarusian Olympic Committee.

“The IOC and the Tokyo Games will continue to talk to her to find out how she wants to move forward. It’s unfortunate (that she lost her start), but we must avoid speculation. We listen to her, support her and make sure she gets it, “We were told she was happy,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters in Tokyo.

The 24-year-old sprinter told Reuters on Sunday that she had been fired from the Olympic team after complaints about coaches. In a video on a social network, she then asked the IOC for help. At the airport, where she was taken away by representatives of the Belarusian team, she turned to the police and did not board a plane bound for Istanbul.

“I will not return to Belarus,” she said. According to the Belarusian Olympic Committee, the coaches withdrew her from the games on the recommendation of doctors due to her mental condition. “It was clear that there was something wrong with her. She either sided with the others or did not want to talk,” national team coach Yuri Mojsevich told Belarusian television.

Czech and Polish politicians promised Tsimanouskaya help on Sunday. According to Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek, the Czech Republic offered the runner a visa to avoid being forced to return to her homeland. But Przydacz announced today that she has received a Polish visa. “Poland will do everything necessary to help it continue its sports career,” he said.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also joined the athlete. According to reports from Sunday, Tsimanouskaya planned to apply for asylum at the Austrian embassy in Tokyo. According to the head of the Austrian Olympians, Karel Stoss, it was not on the agenda.