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Belarusian Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya who took refuge in the Polish embassy in Tokyo, looks on while boarding a flight to Vienna. Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has arrived safely in Vienna after fleeing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where she says she was dragged to the airport to board a flight back to Belarus.
The diplomatic incident began after the athlete spoke out against the management of her team, claiming she was being told to compete in a relay event she'd never been in before.
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Austrian officials confirmed the athlete was doing well but is concerned about her future and her family. Austrian State Secretary Magnus Brunner told the media: "She is well, thank God! She feels safe. Of course she is worried about what is going to happen next and about her family but at the moment thank God, she is safe here in Vienna and it will be up to her what happens next and whether and where she applies for asylum."
The 24-year-old is in the care of Polish officials. She flew to the Austrian capital at the last minute after being expected to board a plane to Warsaw, where a crowd is awaiting her arrival with Polish flags.
It's understood her flight was changed because of privacy and security concerns. Tsimanouskaya is expected to head to Warsaw from Vienna some time on Wednesday.
Poland granted her a humanitarian visa earlier this week. The Polish government has also confirmed her husband has been granted a humanitarian visa and the couple are expected to reunite in the country.
The track athlete has told media she does not want to get involved in politics, that she wants to focus on her sport and had no plan to seek protection in another country before heading to the Games.
Through activist groups and video messages she made it clear she felt her life was in danger and she would be punished if she returned to Belarus. Belarus's Olympic Committee claimed Tsimanouskaya's involvement in the Olympics had been suspended due to the "decision of doctors, because of her emotional and psychological state."
Her arrival in Europe coincides with the beginning of a trial for two opposition figures in Belarus. Protest organizer Maria Kolesnikova and opposition lawyer Maxim Znak have both been detained since they were charged last September for incitement to undermine national security.
Belarusian opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova, charged with plotting to seize power and threatening national security, attends a court hearing in Minsk, Belarus August 4, 2021. /Ramil Nasibulin/BelTA/Handout via Reuters
If found guilty, they could both face 12 years in jail. Arriving in the court behind bars, Kolesnikova was seen to show a love heart with her hands, a symbol of the protest movement.
Belarus had mass protests across the nation last year after leader Alexander Lukashenko won in a landslide election result, believed by the opposition and many Western governments to have been rigged in his favour, accusations he denies.
Lukashenko has been in power for almost three decades and cracked down on the protests, with a strong police presence detaining thousands of people.
