Polish Exiled Belarusian Track Athlete's Husband Says "Wife Has No Mental Issues"…Refutes Authorities' Claims

▲Kristina Tsimanouskaya [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The husband of Belarusian national track and field athlete Kristina Tsimanouskaya (24), who defected to Poland after competing in the Tokyo Olympics, has refuted the Belarusian authorities' claim that Tsimanouskaya was mentally unstable.

Previously, Belarusian authorities had ordered her forced return, citing mental instability.

On the 2nd (local time), the Russian sports magazine 'Sport Express' reported this, citing an interview with Tsimanouskaya's husband by the BBC.

He emphasized that although Belarusian media reported on her mental issues, "my wife is normal."

Major Belarusian media outlets are conveying the matter based on claims from the Belarus National Olympic Committee (NOC RB). Earlier, NOC RB explained that due to issues with Tsimanouskaya's psychological state, they decided to send her back.

As a short-distance track representative, Tsimanouskaya strongly criticized via social media the athletics coaching team for placing her on the 1600m relay team, which is not her main event, without consulting her.

Just before boarding the flight back to Belarus, Tsimanouskaya was able to receive a humanitarian visa from Poland through the intervention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee.

Currently staying at the Polish embassy in Tokyo, Tsimanouskaya is scheduled to depart for Warsaw, the capital of Poland, on the 4th.

Her husband stated, "Poland is ready to protect my wife."

It is known that her husband left Belarus immediately after the incident involving his wife and moved to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

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 with over 80% of the vote in last August's presidential election, protests demanding an end to election fraud and the president's resignation have continued. Over 35,000 people have been arrested during this process.

Among them, Tsimanouskaya is considered one of the athletes who signed an open petition calling for a re-election and the release of political prisoners during the large-scale protests against the fraudulent election following Lukashenko's re-election last August.

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

Amid the election fraud controversy, when Lukashenko's son Viktor was elected as NOC PR chairman, the IOC did not recognize this. The IOC also banned President Lukashenko and Viktor from attending Tokyo Olympic events.