Belarusian Olympic sprinter being protected at airport hotel after refusing to fly

Belarusian Olympic sprinter being protected at airport hotel after refusing to fly

Belarusian Olympic sprinter being protected at airport hotel after refusing to fly Credit: Pixabay

Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya being protected at airport hotel after refusing to fly back to Minsk.

24-year-old Krystsina Tsimanouskaya had refused to leave Tokyo on a flight after having been taken to the airport against her will. The International Olympic Committee can confirm that she is “safe and secure”. They also said that she is being looked after too.

Tsimanouskaya sought out Japanese police at the Haneda airport on Sunday night in the hope that they would offer her protection. She then spent last night in an airport hotel after receiving help.

On Sunday, August 1, the athlete says that she was held by her own country’s officials after she took to social media to complain about coaches on the national team.

Talks are now in progress to decide what happens next, according to Mark Adams, spokesman for the International Olympic Committee.

“She assured us and has assured us that she feels safe and secure. She spent the night at an airport hotel in a safe and secure environment,” said Adams.

“The IOC and Tokyo 2020 will continue their conversations with her and the Japanese authorities to determine the next step in the upcoming days.”

Tsimanouskaya had taken to social media and told of how she was being forcibly evicted from Tokyo. “I was put under pressure and (Belarus team officials) are trying to forcibly take me out of the country without my consent,” said Tsimanouskaya.

The Belarus Olympic Committee have claimed that due to the psychological state of the athlete she was removed from the Tokyo games. On Facebook the committee said:

“According to doctors, due to the emotional and psychological state of the Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the coaching staff of the national athletics team decided to stop the performance of the athlete at the XXXII Olympics.

“Consequently, the athlete’s application for participation in qualifying races at 200m and in the 4x400m relay was recalled.”


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Alex
Written by

Alex Glenn

Originally from the UK, Alex is based in Almeria and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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