Poland: Tsimanouskaya made decision to defect on way to airport after grandmother's warning

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SOT, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic sprinter (Russian): “As I said before, when I was given the time to pack my suitcase, I tried to stretch the time to the maximum. Meanwhile, I spoke to my parents on the phone and to my husband. We discussed how to proceed. The first decision was to return home. I also called the Sport Solidarity Fund and they said that if I made the decision not to return to Belarus now, they could offer me help. Then, when I was already walking to the car, my grandmother called me and told me in literally five seconds that I cannot return to Belarus. I understand that she didn’t just tell me that, but because someone in Belarus told her what to expect if I were to return there.”

SOT, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic sprinter (Russian): “I thought I am ready to help people who might find themselves in a similar situation as me or people who want to leave Belarus. I also want to tell all Belarusians not to be afraid if they are exposed to pressure. I would like to call on them to report such things when they happen. If someone feels this pressure or any psychological problems, they can courageously write to me and I will try to answer everyone.”

SOT, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic sprinter (Russian): “I’m very disappointed that I had my chance at the Olympic games taken away from me. Even after this situation, we made an appeal for me to compete anyway, I had five long years of training, I had to go through a lot, including injuries and COVID. But nevertheless, I hope that these were not the last Olympic Games in my life, I count on having at least two other such starts. I will be doing everything possible to get back on track the earliest possible and continue with my career.”

SOT, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic sprinter (Russian): “I will be ready to come back to Belarus when I’m assured that my presence there is safe”

SOT, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic sprinter (Russian): “When we had the first conversation about me not competing in the second distance, I was told that the decision was made for me, that a ticket for me has been practically bought, and I need to go home. They asked me if I agreed with this, and said if I did they would inform the National Olympic Committee accordingly. I said that I didn’t agree with this decision and I insist on competing. That’s when they changed the tone of the conversation and said that other measures would be taken. Then the head coach told me that it was ok for me to run. The next day Dovgalenok (Dmitri) from the National Olympic Committee asked me what was the decision taken in the end, and I told me it was taken in my favour, in favour of me running. And in a few hours, they came for me, told me no one is asking me anything this time, my ticket has been bought, and I have to fly to Belarus.”

SOT, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic sprinter (Russian): “Upon my arrival at the [Tokyo] airport, I used the Google Translate into Japanese saying I needed help, which I had prepared before. I approached policemen there and showed them this translated message. They didn’t understand at once what was going on. Then someone with Tokyo 2020 accreditation badge approached the policemen and also took a look at the message on my phone. At this moment a person from the National Olympic Committee that was accompanying me approached me and asked what I was doing. I said that I had lost something in the Olympic village and I needed to find it. He started asking what was it that I found, and then the person with the Olympics badge told the police that something wrong was going on, and they took me away, and surrounded me by a big number of policemen. Then they started asking me questions, took my things, and were trying to keep me away from the person accompanying me. Afterwards, since the story attracted media attention, Belarusian diaspora explained to the police what was going on, and they took me away into a safe room, and did all they could to make sure I was safe.”

SOT, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic sprinter (Russian): “I could never imagine that something like this could happen, and I’m naturally very disappointed and very worried about it all, but I believe that my best days are ahead of me.”

SOT, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic sprinter (Russian): “I don’t want to be running away from anyone. The sense of this message is that I wanted to compete run in the Olympics, it was my dream and I worked towards it. I hope I’d be able to continue on this path. A marathon of freedom will take place on August 9, and I’m calling on everyone to join in it together with me.”

#Poland #Warsaw #BelarusianAthlete #KrystsinaTsimanouskaya