Belarusian Track Athlete in Poland Seeking Asylum Moves to Airport for Departure

▲Kristina Tsimanouskaya (24) moving to Tokyo Narita Airport to board a flight to Warsaw, Poland [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A Belarusian national track and field athlete who participated in the Tokyo Olympics and faced forced repatriation is boarding a flight to Warsaw, Poland.

According to Kyodo News on the 4th, Kristina Tsimanouskaya (24), Belarus's national short-distance track athlete, left the Polish embassy in the morning and headed to Tokyo Narita Airport. She is scheduled to board a flight to Warsaw, Poland soon.

Earlier, during the Tokyo Olympics, Tsimanouskaya opposed the Belarusian authorities' order for forced repatriation and expressed her wish to seek asylum in a third country. Poland issued her a visa on humanitarian grounds and has been providing protection at the embassy until her departure.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has launched a formal investigation into Belarus's attempt to forcibly repatriate Tsimanouskaya while she was competing in the Olympics.

The controversy arose when the Belarusian athletics coaching team included Tsimanouskaya, a short-distance runner, in the 1600m relay team without prior consultation.

Tsimanouskaya posted a protest on social media, and the Belarusian authorities responded by claiming the athlete was mentally unstable and ordered her forced repatriation. According to Tsimanouskaya, on the 1st, a coach came to her room, told her to pack, and ordered her forced return.

Belarus has been under the long-term rule of President Alexander Lukashenko for 27 years. President Lukashenko is regarded as Europe's last dictator. After Lukashenko was re-elected in last August's presidential election with over 80% of the vote, protests demanding investigation of election fraud and his resignation have continued.

Amid this, Tsimanouskaya is considered one of the athletes who signed a public petition during the large-scale protests against the fraudulent election after President Lukashenko's re-election last August, calling for a re-election and the release of political prisoners.

Because of this background, Tsimanouskaya's forced repatriation is also interpreted as an attempted kidnapping by the government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.