Belarusian Athlete Who Applied for Asylum During Olympics Leaves for Austria

Photo of Belarusian track and field athlete Kristina Tsimanouskaya taken at Narita Airport, Japan on the 4th (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] A Belarusian track and field athlete who sought asylum after attending the Tokyo Olympics is reported to have left for Austria.

According to BBC on the 4th, Belarusian female track and field athlete Kristina Tsimanouskaya, who faced the risk of forced repatriation after attending the Tokyo Olympics, headed to Austria instead of Poland, which was originally planned.

TASS news agency also reported, citing Narita Airport officials, that she boarded a passenger plane bound for Vienna, Austria, instead of the flight to Warsaw, Poland. The flight is scheduled to arrive in Vienna, Austria, around 4:05 PM (local time).

Previously, it was expected that Tsimanouskaya would go to Poland. Poland issued her a humanitarian visa and arranged a refuge at the embassy in Tokyo.

TASS reported that some journalists who intended to cover Tsimanouskaya boarded the Warsaw-bound flight, prompting Polish embassy staff to urgently change her destination.