Poland, Czech Republic Offer Visas To Belarus Athlete After Refusing Forced Effort To Return Home

Poland and Czech Republic have offered visas to an Olympic athlete from Belarus who escaped efforts to be flown back home from Tokyo after she publicly criticised her country’s authorities.

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, 24, spent the night at a hotel in Tokyo’s Haneda airport after making an online appeal last night to avoid getting on a plane, the International Olympic Committee said.

She was this morning reported to have entered the Polish embassy in Tokyo after being placed under the protection of Japanese police.

Tsimanouskaya sought refuge at Tokyo’s Haneda airport after Belarusian officials pulled her out of the competition and reportedly tried to force her back to Belarus without her consent.

She said the forced repatriation was a reprisal for criticizing the team’s coaches on Instagram for entering her into a relay race in Tokyo without giving her notice, but Belarusian officials said the decision was based on the sprinter’s “emotional, psychological state.”

Reacting to the online call for help, both Poland and Czech Republic publicly offered help to Tsimanouskaya on Monday, including providing humanitarian visas.

Czech Republic Foreign Minister, Jakub Kulhanek said on Twitter;

The Japanese authorities have just confirmed to us that the Belarusian athlete Kryscina Tsimanouskaya has received our offer of asylum. If she decides to accept it, we will help her as much as possible. The Olympics are not about politics, the methods of the (President Alexander) Lukashenko regime are absolutely shameful.

Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Jansa has also offered to host Timanovskaya.

France’s European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told RFI radio on Monday “it would be an honor for Europe” to grant Tsimanouskaya political asylum.

Tsimanouskaya said officials came to her room in the Olympic Village and gave her an hour to pack her bags before being escorted to Haneda airport.

Fearing reprisals amid a crackdown on dissent by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, described as “Europe’s last dictator,” the athlete told Reuters she “will not return to Belarus.”

Lukashenko’s disputed re-election to a sixth term last August led to the most serious political crisis in the ex-Soviet country’s modern history, with protesters taking to the streets and authorities cracking down on the opposition.

In December, the IOC banned Lukashenko and his eldest son Viktor from Olympic events over Belarus Olympic committee’s targeting of athletes for their political views.

Then in March, the IOC refused to recognise Viktor Lukashenko’s leadership of the Belarus NOC when he took over from his father.

Viktor Lukashenko was banned from attending the Olympics, along with a member of the country’s Olympic Committee executive board and several government officials.

A number of Belarusian athletes have supported Lukashenko’s critics and demanded an end to the crackdown.

The turmoil also led to Belarus being stripped of the hosting rights for this year’s ice hockey world championship.