Japan: Tokyo residents react after Belarusian athlete refuses "forced" flight home

У вашего броузера проблема в совместимости с HTML5

Tokyo residents shared their reactions on Monday, after Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya refused to board a flight back to Minsk, as she alleged that team managers had tried to force her to leave after she had publicly criticised coaches.

Speaking near the Athletes Village in the Japanese capital, local residents seemed sympathetic to Tsimanouskaya’s situation.

“In a sense, she criticised the coach, which is like, she criticised her country, so I think that she would be told a lot of things when she returned to her country,” said one local, while another worried that the sprinter’s life would be in ‘danger’ were she to return to Minsk.

One woman questioned if what the 24-year-old athlete’s move had been planned ahead of time.

“I don’t know if she was trying to use the Olympics to defect, and it is true that we Japanese don’t know how dangerous Belarus is, but we can’t help but wonder if it is inevitable that she would act in such a way to protect her own life,” she said.

According to Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian team managers tried to force her to fly home early after publicly criticising her coaches, as the athlete had taken to social media to complain about being picked to take part in a 400m relay event on short notice - a discipline she had not prepared to compete in.

The athlete avoided being sent home by seeking police protection at the airport, where she then stayed overnight. Later on Monday afternoon she then headed to the Polish embassy where she was granted a humanitarian visa. She is expected to fly to Poland later in the week.

SOT, Kodo Mochida, Resident (Japanese): “In a sense, she criticised the coach, which is like, she criticised her country, so I think that she would be told a lot of things when she returned to her country. I’m sure she’ll be harshly criticised or even caught, but Japan is a country that is quite narrow in its attitude toward refugees and asylum seekers.”

SOT, Miwa, Resident (Japanese): “I heard that it is dangerous for her to go back to her home country, so I think that since she is here in Japan, they should be given some protection or something. As we see Belarus is a dictatorship, so I feel sorry for her that her life is in danger if she returns to her homeland.”

SOT, Saki Tomihara​, Resident (Japanese): “I don’t know if she was trying to use the Olympics to defect, and it is true that we Japanese don’t know how dangerous Belarus is, but we can’t help but wonder if it is inevitable that she would act in such a way to protect her own life. “

#Tsimanouskaya #Belarus #Tokyo2020 #Japan

Video ID: 20210802-056

Video on Demand: https://ruptly.tv/videos/20210802-056
Contact: [email protected]

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ruptly
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ruptly