▲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.
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