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Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said on Thursday she made the decision to flee to Poland from Tokyo after receiving warnings from her family that he was unsure of returning home.
Speaking at a press conference in Warsaw, Tsimanouskaya said she had been warned by her grandmother that she should not go back to Belarus “because on TV they say a lot of bad words on you, that you have mental problems “.
“She told me that I should not come back to Belarus,” said the 24-year-old athlete.
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Tsimanouskaya said her parents also warned her that Belarusians were being asked to “write hateful things about me” on social media.
The athlete flew to Poland on Wednesday after refusing to return to Belarus after the Tokyo Olympics following an argument with his coaches that apparently angered the country’s sports-loving strongman.
Tsimanouskaya said her coaches ordered her to return to her homeland after publicly criticizing them for trying to force her to participate in an event she had never attended before.
The sprinter told reporters on Thursday that her coaches came to her room and urged her to pretend she had an injury and go home.
She said she was taken to Haneda Airport against her will on Sunday, but managed to evade team officials and seek protection from Japanese police instead.
The athlete said she used Google Translate to show police at the airport a call for help translated on her phone as she tried to avoid being put on a plane to return home .
Tsimanouskaya received a wave of support from countries around the world, with Poland granting him a humanitarian visa on Monday.
The 24-year-old said she decided to travel to Poland in the hopes of continuing her sports career.
She also said she chose to seek refuge in the country because she knew her parents and husband would not have difficulty visiting the country.
The athlete said her husband was already on his way to Warsaw to be with her.
Speaking to the Associated Press in a video call earlier this week, Tsimanouskaya said she feared punishment if she returned to Belarus.
The 24-year-old said team officials had “made it clear that when I get home I will definitely face some form of punishment.”
When asked how this was clear, Tsimanouskaya said that “the key phrase was that” we did not make the decision for you to go home, it was decided by other people, and we have simply ordered to do so. “
Tsimanouskaya’s flight to Poland comes as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko continues to face international criticism for his brutal crackdown on political opponents and critics.
The authoritarian leader sparked widespread outrage after his government hijacked a plane to the capital Minsk, resulting in the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich, a vocal critic of the Lukashenko regime.
During Thursday’s press conference, Tsimanouskaya said she wanted to “help anyone” in a situation similar to hers.
She also said she hoped Belarusians facing pressure from their authoritarian government would be able to speak out and be willing to “act on their behalf”.
The athlete regretted that she would only consider returning to Belarus if she felt confident that she would be sure to do so.
Until then, she said: “I’m happy to be here, happy to be safe.”
Chantal Da Silva contributed.
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