Belarus sprinter says punishment awaited her back home
Moscow: Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who plans to seek refuge in Europe after accusing team officials of trying to force her to leave the Tokyo Games early, said Tuesday that officials from her country "made it clear" she would face punishment if she returned home.
Tsimanouskaya, who had criticized the management of her team on social media, said officials hustled her to the airport and tried to put her on a plane back to Belarus, where the autocratic government has relentlessly stifled dissent and any criticism.
She said she hopes to continue her career, but for now her safety remains a priority.
In the dramatic standoff, several countries offered her help, and Poland granted her a humanitarian visa Monday. She plans to fly to Warsaw later in the week, according to an activist group that is helping her.
"They made it clear that upon return home I would definitely face some form of punishment," the 24-year-old sprinter told The Associated Press in a videocall interview
"There were also thinly disguised hints that more would await me."
She added that she believed she would be kicked off of the national team. She hopes to be able to continue running once she has reached safety.
"For now I just want to safely arrive in Europe ... meet with people who have been helping me and make a decision what to do next," Tsimanouskaya said in the interview.
"I would very much like to continue my sporting career because I'm just 24 and I had plans for two more Olympics at least," she said.
"For now, the only thing that concerns me is my safety."
The standoff began after Tsimanouskaya's criticism of how officials were managing her team set off a massive backlash in state-run media back home. The runner said on her Instagram account that she was put in the 4x400 relay even though she has never raced in the event. She was then barred from competing in the 200 meters.
Tsimanouskaya waged and lost a legal fight to run in that race. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement that it denied Tsimanouskaya's request for an interim ruling that would have allowed her to run at the Olympic Stadium on Monday. The heats were held in the morning and the semifinals were in the evening.
On Tuesday, Tsimanouskaya called for an investigation and "possibly taking sanctions against the head coach who approached me and who deprived me of the right to compete in the Olympic Games."
She said she wanted international sports authorities "to investigate the situation, who gave the order, who actually took the decision that I can't compete any more."
At the same time, she said that "the athletes aren't guilty of anything and they should keep competing, and I don't think there should be any sanctions against the athletes."
The rapid-fire series of events brought international political intrigue to an Olympics that have been more focused on operational dramas, like maintaining safety during a pandemic and navigating widespread Japanese opposition to holding the event at all.
Belarus' authoritarian government has relentlessly targeted anyone even mildly expressing dissent since a presidential election a year ago triggered a wave of unprecedented mass protests.
And it has also gone to extremes to stop its critics, including recently diverting a plane to the capital of Minsk and arresting a dissident journalist aboard.
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
