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Belarusian Olympian'¯Departs Tokyo for Vienna

VOA News

   A Belarusian Olympic sprinter who said she faced punishment if she
   returned to her country departed JapanWednesday on a flight bound for
   Austria.

   Krystsina'¯Tsimanouskaya'¯wasscheduledto land in Vienna Wednesday
   afternoon. She is then expected to travel on to Poland, where the
   government has offered her a humanitarian visa.

   Polish Prime MinisterMateuszMorawieckiposted Tuesday on Facebook that
   he had spoken withTsimanouskaya'¯and thatsheshould be able to live in
   Poland without obstacles.

   Polish authorities grantedTsimanouskaya'¯a humanitarian visa to seek
   political asylum on Monday after she alleged her team's officials were
   trying to force her to fly home to Belarus against her wishes.
   Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya arrives at the Polish
   embassy in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 2, 2021.

   '¯Tsimanouskaya'¯told officials in Tokyo she feared she would not be
   safe in Belarus from the autocratic government of President Alexander
   Lukashenko.'¯

   "They made it clear that upon return home I would definitely face some
   form of punishment," she told The Associated Press in aTuesdayvideocall
   interview. "There were also thinly disguised hints that more would
   await me."'¯

   Her departure from Tokyo comes days after she provoked backlash in
   state-run media in Belarus by criticizing how official were managing
   the Belarusian Olympians.

   On her Instagram account,'¯Tsimanouskaya'¯said she was put on the
   country's 4x400 relay team even though she has never raced in the
   event.'¯'¯'¯

   The Belarus National Olympic Committee has been led for more than 25
   years by Lukashenko and his son, Viktor.'¯'¯'¯

   U.S. Secretary of State AntonyBlinkensaid the Lukashenko government was
   trying to forceTsimanouskaya'¯to leavethe Games"simply for exercising
   free speech."

   Some information in this report came from the Associated
   Press,AgenceFrance-Presseand Reuters.'¯

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