Belarusian Sprinter Will Seek Asylum In Poland After Refusing To Board A Flight Home

Belarusian sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya will seek political asylum in Poland after she refused to board a flight back to her home country from the Tokyo Games.

The 24-year-old sprinter entered the Polish Embassy in Tokyo on Monday, according to multiple media reports, one day after Belarusian officials abruptly pulled her from the Olympics and took her to the airport before she could compete in Monday's 200-meter event.

The Belarusian Olympic Committee said it withdrew her from the competition because of her "emotional, psychological state," but Timanovskaya told Reuters she was being forced to return home after speaking poorly about her coaches on Instagram.

She is under protection now but will leave for Poland soon

Timanovskaya, who is currently under protection in Tokyo, will head to Poland in a few days after receiving a humanitarian visa from the country, according to Franak Viacorka, a senior adviser to the exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation, which supports athletes who face hardships for voicing political opposition to the country's authoritarian leadership, also confirmed to The Associated Press that Timanovskaya plans to seek political asylum in Poland.

Marcin Przydacz, Polish deputy minister of foreign affairs, tweeted that "Poland will do whatever is necessary to help [Timanovskaya] to continue her sporting career."

The Czech Republic has also offered her asylum, according to the country's foreign minister, Jakub Kulhanek.

Belarus is mired in political upheaval

The unfolding drama comes amid an ongoing period of political upheaval in Belarus.

In August 2020, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko declared himself the winner of a sixth term in office and began cracking down on political opponents, including Tsikhanouskaya. In a recent example of the government's campaign to silence dissent, Belarusian authorities diverted an international flight to arrest opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, prompting condemnation from many countries, including the United States.

Viacorka said Belarusian authorities are trying to "put pressure" on Timanovskaya by "threatening her parents" and added that her husband had fled Belarus for Ukraine.

Timanovskaya spent Sunday night in an airport hotel after missing the flight from Haneda Airport on Sunday, Reuters reported. The runner told Reuters she was being punished due to "the fact that I spoke on my Instagram about the negligence of our coaches." She did not criticize Lukashenko or the Belarusian government in the video.

International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said during a news conference that the sprinter had sought police protection at the airport and is now safe. "The most important thing at the moment is our duty of care for her," he told reporters.

Adams said Timanovskaya would not elaborate on who was protecting the athlete or where she was being held despite repeated requests to name an agency.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.