On Sunday, Belarusian athlete Kristina Timanovskaya (24), who was forcibly taken to the airport to be removed from the Olympic team and sent to her country, but refused to return home, made a transfer in Vienna, the capital of Austria, to Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
The 24-year-old athlete, who was removed from the team while the women were going to compete in the 200 meters on Monday and was forcibly taken to the Haneda Airport in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, which hosted the Olympic Games on Sunday, expressed his fear of returning to his country. IOC) had not boarded the plane by asking for help.
Timanovskaya stated that she knew too late that she would represent her country in the 400-meter relay that will be held tomorrow, and that she was dismissed from the team because of her Instagram post, where she criticized her coaches. State-controlled media outlets launched a smear campaign. Belarusian Olympic Team ‘psychological state’ announced that he was removed from the team due to
Poland granted a humanitarian visa to Timanovskaya, who spent Sunday night at the hotel at the airport, and announced that they would give their best support to continue her sports career. Arseniy Zidanevic, who fled to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, also stated that he wanted to meet with him as soon as possible, and said that neither of them got involved in politics. The IOC also started an investigation on the subject and requested a report from Belarus.
The athlete’s wife fled the country this week when she realized that she would not return to Belarus.
The Belarusian athlete, who has been staying at the Polish Embassy in Tokyo since Monday, left Japan this morning. He was expected to go to Warsaw, the capital of Poland. However, at the last minute, an official at the airport ‘by changing your target’ He announced that he boarded the plane to Vienna.
As of 16:44, the plane carrying the athlete landed in Vienna. It was stated that the Belarusian athlete planned to fly directly to Warsaw, but when this plan was heard and it was understood that there was a group of journalists on the plane, upon the advice of the Polish authorities, he gave up flying directly, taking into account his safety and privacy, and made a transfer. Timanovskaya, who flew from Vienna to Warsaw, reached the city in the evening.
‘An example of the oppressive attitude of the Lukashenko regime’
Speaking to the BBC yesterday, the Belarusian athlete stated that he did not take a political stance, only criticizing his country’s trainers and officials at the Olympic Games, “I love my country. I did not betray my country” said. Timanovskaya, who refused to explain that she was removed from the team because of her mental disorder, explained that this was not true, and that they came to her room after criticizing her coaches and asked them to pack their belongings. Timanovskaya, “If I know it’s safe… Maybe I can return to my country in five or 10 years” used his statements.
The events put the administration of Belarus on the world’s agenda, where the people took to the streets, many people were arrested, the funds of the athletes participating in the demonstrations were cut and they were removed from their teams on the grounds that President Aleksandr Lukashenko rigged the elections last year.
Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, and his son and some other names were banned by the IOC for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Nabila Massrali, spokesperson of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell, said yesterday that Timanovskaya’s forced deportation to her country, ‘An example of the oppressive attitude of the Lukashenko regime’ said that.
Athlete who refused to return to Belarus spent the night at a hotel in Tokyo: Poland issued a visa
Belarusian athlete removed from the Olympic team and taken to the airport: I do not want to return
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