Belarus sprinter arrives in Vienna from Tokyo after seeking refuge

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is expected to head to Poland amid fears she would be punished if she went home

The Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is “safe” after arriving in Austria from Japan, where she had refused her team’s orders to return to Belarus because she feared she would face punishment for publicly criticising her coaches for their “negligence”.

Tsimanouskaya has received a humanitarian visa from Poland after she said Belarusian officials had attempted to bundle her on a plane during the Tokyo Olympics. She requested police protection at Haneda airport and later took refuge at the Polish embassy in Tokyo in a scandal that has rocked the Games, recalling high-profile defections of athletes during the cold war.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3im2YhP
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