Belarusian sprinter Kristina Tsimanoskaya took refuge in Poland today after refusing to return to her authoritarian homeland from the Tokyo Olympics in an epic reminiscent of Cold War sporting defections.
The case of the 24-year-old athlete could further isolate Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been under Western sanctions after a crackdown on his opponents since last year.
Tsimanoskaya caused an uproar on Sunday when she said coaches, angry at her criticism, told her to pack up and go to the airport. She refused to board the return flight and sought protection from the Japanese police.
Poland, which has long criticized Lukashenko and harbors many activists from Belarus, granted her and her husband humanitarian visas.
«She needs to rest. She is tired but happy to be in Poland. She will stay in Poland in a safe place,» said Marcin Przydać, Poland’s deputy foreign minister.
Some Belarusians waited at Warsaw airport, carrying signs of resistance: carnations and flags in red and white.
«We are here to support our compatriot, who has told the truth about what is happening in Belarusian sport,» said Eugene Dodkin, a 31-year-old student who left for Poland after being detained for a night in a police station to protest. .
Warsaw-based Belarusian opposition politician Pavel Latushko tweeted a photo with Tsimanoskaya. “We hope that the suffering of the system will soon be over, and Christina will be able to return to conquering new sports peaks in the new Belarus!” He said.
The sprinter, who criticized the neglect of her team coaches, spent two nights at the Polish embassy in Japan before traveling to Poland via Vienna, the Austrian capital.
She was wearing sunglasses that said «I RUN CLEAN».
The Belarus National Olympic Committee said the coaches withdrew Tsimanoskaya from the Games on the advice of doctors about her emotional and psychological state. It had no further comment on Wednesday, nor did the government.
The case came amid growing concerns for the safety of Lukashenko’s critics, including in neighboring countries, after a crackdown that saw tens of thousands of arrests inside Belarus.
Vitaly Shishov, a Belarusian activist living in Ukraine, was found hanged in a garden near his home in Kiev early Tuesday. Ukrainian police launched a murder investigation, and President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered a review of the safety of Belarusian exiles.
The sport plays a prominent role in Belarusian politics under Lukashenko, a hockey player and country skater known for competing in televised races in which he drops his opponents before crossing the finish line. Lukashenko himself headed the Belarus Olympic Committee until this year he was replaced by his son. «Sports is our ideology,» his website quotes him as saying.
The IOC has launched an investigation into the Tsimanoskaya case and said it will hear from the two Belarus officials allegedly implicated.
The United States accused Lukashenko’s government of «cross-border repression» in this regard.
Police have cracked down on dissent in Belarus following a wave of protests sparked by last year’s elections that the opposition says were rigged to keep Lukashenko in power.
The authorities describe the anti-government protesters as criminals or violent revolutionaries supported by the West.
After the runner arrived in Vienna, Austrian Deputy Environment Minister Magnus Brunner said she is safe and doing well, adding: «She is naturally worried, excited and nervous about what will happen to her next.»
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