Belarusian sprinter remains at Polish embassy in Tokyo, granted visa to enter Poland

Record ID: 1630112

  • Title: Belarusian sprinter remains at Polish embassy in Tokyo, granted visa to enter Poland
  • Date: 2nd August 2021
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (AUGUST 2, 2021) (REUTERS) (NIGHT VIEWS) BELARUS SPRINTER KRYSTSINA TSIMANOUSKAYA IN RECEPTION AREA OF THE POLISH EMBASSY MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES OUTSIDE EMBASSY GATES EMBASSY GATES TSIMANOUSKAYA IN RECEPTION AREA, PICKING UP AND PUTTING ON BACKPACK TSIMANOUSKAYA TAKING A SUITCASE AND WALKING AWAY
  • Embargoed: 16th August 2021 14:04
  • Keywords: Belarus sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya Olympics Polish embassy Tokyo 2020 asylum
  • Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • City: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Olympics,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA001EOL7A6F
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A Belarusian athlete who took refuge in the Polish embassy in Tokyo on Monday (August 2) a day after refusing her team's orders to board a flight home from the Olympic Games has been granted a humanitarian visa by the Warsaw government and remains at the embassy for now.
    Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya plans to leave for Poland in the coming days, a Polish deputy foreign minister, Marcin Przydacz, told Reuters adding that she was "safe and in good condition" after walking into the embassy on Monday. Another deputy foreign minister, Pawel Jablonski, confirmed that Tsimanouskaya had been granted a humanitarian visa.
    The athlete pulled up in front of the Polish embassy in an unmarked silver van about 5 p.m. local time (0800 GMT). She stepped out with her official team luggage, and then greeted two officials before entering the premises. She was later seen in the embassy's reception area.
    Tsimanouskaya, 24, had been due to compete in the women's 200 metre heats on Monday but she said that on Sunday (August 1) she was taken to the airport to board a Turkish Airlines flight.
    She refused to board the flight, telling Reuters: "I will not return to Belarus."
    The incident has put renewed attention on the political discord in Belarus, a former Soviet state that is run by President Alexander Lukashenko.
    Police there have cracked down on dissent following a wave of protests triggered by an election last year which the opposition says was rigged to keep him in power.
    (Production: Akira Tomoshige, Parniyan Zemaryalai, Tim Hart, Ilze Filks)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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