-
Officials said to Belarus sprinter she would face punishment if she returned home

According to the AP, a Belarusian Olympic sprinter who had a public feud with officials from her team at the Tokyo Games said Tuesday that they “made it clear” she would face punishment if she returned home to an autocratic government that has relentlessly stifled any criticism.
Waiting to leave Japan to seek refuge in Europe, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said she hopes she can continue her career, but for now her safety is the priority.
After she criticized the management of her team on social media, she accused officials of hustling her to the airport and trying to put her on a plane back to Belarus.
In the dramatic standoff, several countries offered help, and Poland granted her a humanitarian visa Monday. On Wednesday morning at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, she boarded a plane that left the gate for Vienna, though it was not immediately clear if that would be her final destination.
Team officials “made it clear that, upon return home, I would definitely face some form of punishment,” the 24-year-old sprinter told The Associated Press in a videocall interview from Tokyo. “There were also thinly disguised hints that more would await me.”
She added that she believed she would be kicked off the national team. She hopes to be able to continue running once she has reached safety.
“I would very much like to continue my sporting career because I’m just 24, and I had plans for two more Olympics at least,” she said. But “for now, the only thing that concerns me is my safety.”
Asked what made her fear she would be in danger at home, Tsimanouskaya said that “the key phrase was that ‘we didn’t make the decision for you to go home, it was decided by other people, and we were merely ordered to make it happen.’”
Reached by phone Tuesday, Dzmitry Dauhalionak, the head of Belarus’ delegation at the Games, declined to comment, saying that he has “no words.”
Earlier, Belarus’ National Olympic Committee told a state-run news agency that it was closely monitoring the situation and cooperating with the International Olympic Committee.
In the interview, Tsimanouskaya also expressed worry for her parents, who remain in Belarus. Her husband, Arseni Zdanevich, told the AP that he decided to leave the country when Tsimanouskaya told him she wasn’t coming back.
“It was all very sudden. I only had an hour to collect my things,” Zdanevich said from Ukraine, where he said he feels safe even though police are investigating whether a Belarus activist’s death there was murder. He hopes to join his wife in Poland, which is home to a significant Belarusian community.
The couple’s fears reflect the lengths the Belarus’ authoritarian government has at times gone to in its crackdown on dissent, including recently diverting a plane to the capital of Minsk and arresting a journalist aboard. President Alexander Lukashenko maintained that a bomb threat against the flight forced it to change course, but European officials denounced the move as an act of air piracy.
Lukashenko appears to have a particular interest in his country’s Olympic team: He and his son, Viktor, have led the Belarus National Olympic Committee for more than 25 years. Both were banned from the Tokyo Games by the IOC, which investigated complaints from athletes that they faced intimidation during the crackdown on anti-government protests over the last year.
The current standoff began after Tsimanouskaya’s criticism of how officials were managing her team set off a massive backlash in state-run media back home, where the government has cracked down on dissent since a presidential election a year ago triggered a wave of unprecedented mass protests.
The runner said on Instagram that she was put in the 4x400 relay even though she has never raced in the event. She was then barred from competing in the 200 meters.
Tsimanouskaya waged — and lost — a legal fight to run in that event. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement that it denied Tsimanouskaya’s request for an interim ruling that would have allowed her to run at the Olympic Stadium on Monday. The heats were held in the morning and the semifinals were in the evening.
On Tuesday, Tsimanouskaya called on international sports authorities “to investigate the situation, who gave the order, who actually took the decision that I can’t compete any more.” She suggested possible “sanctions against the head coach who approached me and who deprived me of the right to compete in the Olympic Games.”
At the same time, she said that “the athletes aren’t guilty of anything, and they should keep competing.”
Athletes seeking asylum at global sporting events is nothing new — such requests were especially frequent during the Cold War but they have also happened occasionally in the decades since.

But Tsimanouskaya’s circumstances appear to differ from the typical situation, though some, including her head coach, have suggested she was planning something all along. Tsimanouskaya dismissed that, saying she only spoke out when she learned she would be participating in an event she had never competed in.
“Everything that is happening now absolutely wasn’t in my plans,” Tsimanouskaya said.
European leaders have condemned her treatment. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the daily Rheinische Post that “the rulers in Minsk have shown with their attempted kidnapping of Krystsina Tsimanouskaya that they scorn their own athletes and with this also the Olympic principles.”
Maas called Lukashenko’s regime “politically and morally bankrupt,” adding that the overwhelming support for the sprinter showed that “the spirit of friendship and respect is alive. Sportsmanship and solidarity are stronger than the violence which Mr. Lukashenko uses to cling to power.”
Still, the athlete declined to link her problems to the larger struggle in Belarus.
“I don’t want to get involved in politics,” she said. “For me, my career is important, only sports is important, and I’m only thinking about my future, about how I can continue my career.”
You May Also Like
Popular Posts
Caricature
BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
opinion
Report
ads
Newsletter
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates!