IOC says Belarus sprinter 'safe and secure' with Japanese, U.N. officials after refusing to leave Tokyo Olympics

Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who says top officials in her country tried to force her to return home from Tokyo on Sunday, is "safe and secure" in the care of Japanese and United Nations refugee officials, International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said Monday. Officials in Poland and the Czech Republic have offered to help Tsimanouskaya, 24, but Reuters reports she plans to request asylum in Germany or Austria.
Tsimanouskaya says Belarusian Olympic staff abruptly told her to pack her bags on Sunday, after she publicly criticized Belarus' national coaches. She refused to board the flight and asked the IOC to get involved. The IOC has asked for a full written report on the matter from the Belarusian National Olympic Committee, which said in a statement it had pulled Tsimanouskaya from the Tokyo Olympics due to her "emotional and psychological state." Tsimanouskaya called that statement "a lie."
Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has been harshly cracking down on dissent, and Tsimanouskaya suggested he or other top Belarusian officials had ordered or at least approved her attempted abduction. The head of Belarus' NOC, Viktor Lukashenko, is Alexander Lukashenko's son, Reuters reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of July
Cartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?
In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
Sudoku medium: July 5, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami