Belarus Olympic defector Tsimanouskaya auctions medal on eBay | Europe News

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the Belarusian Olympic defector who missed her moment at the Tokyo Games, explained why she is auctioning one of her medals to support other Belarusian athletes and told about her recent ordeal.

“I made the decision to auction my medal to help athletes who need support or any kind of assistance, and the money goes to them [Belarusian] Sports Solidarity Foundation. In return, the foundation will help athletes organize gatherings and competitions, ”the 24-year-old sprinter told Al Jazeera’s podcast show, The Take.

Tsimanouskaya caught the world’s attention on August 1 when she refused to follow orders from her team to leave Tokyo early and board a plane to Belarus, saying she feared for her safety in her homeland.

Officials say she suffered from mental health problems, a claim she denies.

“If I had returned to Belarus, two things could have happened. I would either be sent to a mental hospital or to prison, ”she told Al Jazeera.

She had trained for the 200 meter sprint, but the drama resulted in her not participating in her Olympic race this year.

The silver medal she is parting with, which was awarded by the team relay of the 2nd European Games 2019 in Minsk, was auctioned on eBay with a starting price of US $ 21,000. So far there is a bid.

Journey from Tokyo

Tsimanouskaya, 24, says her coaches asked her in Tokyo to do an additional distance race, the 4×400 meter relay, because other team members were ruled out for not having had enough doping tests.

“I tried to check with the head coaches and they just ignored me. At that moment, I felt completely disrespectful of myself and my hard work. Emotions got the better of me and I talked about it on my Instagram. “

Talks with her head coaches followed on her Instagram post.

“And then they came into my room and said that an order had been received to move me away from the Olympics and not race over 200 meters and that I had to be sent home and that I had to say I did an injury, return home and be quiet so I won’t be punished. “

What followed was a frightening and confusing journey.

“That day the head coach came and said I literally had 40 minutes to pack my things and go home.”

She was desperate.

“I played for time, I talked to my relatives, to my grandma.”

Her grandmother, she said, was in Belarus and tried to understand the situation.

“My grandma was watching TV at that moment and seeing what they said about me, that I had mental health problems and so on. Nevertheless, we have decided that I will return to Minsk. “

On the way to the airport, this decision then changed.

“When I was already driving to the car … my grandma called me back and said that I cannot go to Minsk because it is not safe for me there. She was warned of what to expect at home. “

When she arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, she managed to speak to the Japanese police using a translation app on her phone.

She escaped the Belarusian officials and did not board the flight to Minsk.

First she sought protection with the Japanese police, later she found her way to the Polish embassy, ​​which issued her a humanitarian visa.

“At the moment I am in Poland. I’m absolutely safe here, ”she said.

Poland also issued a visa to her husband, who had entered from Belarus.

“My husband is with me and the country is doing everything so that I can continue my sports career here,” she said.

Warsaw has given us “everything we need to live in absolute safety in Poland,” she added.

Last week, two Belarusian Olympic coaches, Yuri Moisevich and team official Artur Shumak, were asked to leave the Olympic village after asking Tsimanouskaya to end her moment at the Olympics early before she could attend their event.

Thousands were arrested in Belarus last year after a competitive election on August 9 last year.

Critics of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko accuse him of stealing the election and ordering the arrests.

Lukashenko denies claims that he is an autocrat, saying that Tsimanouskaya has been manipulated.

On Monday, the US announced new sanctions against the Belarus Olympic Committee for circumventing existing sanctions and money laundering. The committee, headed by Viktor Lukashenko, the president’s son, rejected the sanctions as unfounded.

Kiryl, a Belarusian who lives in Vilnius, Lithuania, said he believed orders to force Tsimanouskaya to return came from above.

“I think Belarus deserves to be deprived of the right to take part in the Olympics under its own flag,” he told Al Jazeera.

“I hate to see my country as an outcast or the world, but I have to admit that all of this is our government’s own doing. And the reaction of the world community is absolutely deserved. “

The Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation announced that the money from Tsimanouskaya’s medal will be used to support oppressed Belarusian athletes.

The foundation, which supports dissenting athletes who are under pressure because of their views, works to stop violence and human rights abuses by security forces.

The website says: “The directors of the security forces and agencies who issued the illegal orders and are responsible for the violence must resign, face an independent court and be sentenced according to the legislation of the Republic of Belarus.”

Back in Poland, Tsimanouskaya said she had little time to read the news, but she had started walking again.

“Sport hardens me and hardens my character and makes me stronger every day. Because you have to train every day, in difficult situations the sport gives me a reason not to give up. “