Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is "safe" in Japan, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) assured Monday, while the 24-year-old sprinter said she was threatened with a forced return to her country for criticizing her federation national.

“The IOC and Tokyo-2020 spoke yesterday (Sunday) evening directly with Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya,” IOC communications director Mark Adams said on Monday.

“She assured us that she felt safe.

She spent the night in a hotel at the "Tokyo-Haneda airport" and the IOC was scheduled to meet with her again on Monday to find out her intentions and "support" her, Adams added.

Several European countries have offered asylum to the sprinter.

"The Japanese authorities have just confirmed to us that the athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya had received our offer of asylum," Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek said on Twitter.

Lukashenko and the repression of opponents

“If she decides to accept it, we'll do our best to help her. The Olympic Games have nothing to do with politics, the methods of the regime (of Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko are absolutely shameful, ”he added. The Polish authorities have also offered a humanitarian visa to Tsimanouskaya so that she can continue her career in their country and the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa has also offered to host the Belarusian athlete.

For its part, the Japanese government "will continue to cooperate closely with the organizations concerned and take the appropriate measures", by treating this case "in accordance with the law", declared Monday the spokesman of the Japanese government Katsunobu Kato, without detailing. any further.

This incident comes as the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko relentlessly pursues a crackdown on opponents, journalists and activists, with the hope of definitively putting down the historic protest movement of 2020 against his re-election to a fifth term.

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  • Sport

  • Alexander Lukashenko

  • Belarus

  • Tokyo Olympics 2021

  • Olympic Games

  • CIO