Belarus threatened with sanctions: IOC investigates Timanovskaya case

The alleged attempted kidnapping of sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya at the Tokyo Games has consequences for the Belarusian sports elite.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) opened a formal investigation on Tuesday, athlete representatives demanded an immediate ban on the NOK of Belarus (Belarus).

The sportswoman, who, according to the Belarusian opposition, should be forced to return to Minsk “by force”, will shortly leave for Polish asylum. Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki demanded that the "aggression of the Belarusian security services on Japanese territory" must meet with "resolute opposition from the international community".

Timanovskaya was targeted by the Belarusian authorities for criticizing sports officials in her homeland. At Haneda Airport, she refused the return flight and turned to the Japanese police. "She is exhausted, scared, but very grateful for our help in this extremely difficult time in her sports career," said the Polish ambassador to Japan, Pawel Milewski. Poland had granted the 24-year-old a humanitarian visa. On Tuesday, Milewski posted a joint picture and wrote: "You are fine."

The IOC also asserted that Timanovskaya had said in several conversations that she felt "safe and protected".

The Belarusian Olympic Committee should take a stand on the matter by Tuesday.

"We have to establish all the facts and hear everyone involved before we take any further action," said IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

Adams did not want to say when the IOC would complete its investigation.

“These things take time.

We have to get to the bottom of this, ”he said.

"IOC should suspend Belarus"

Athletes' alliances such as Athleten Germany and Global Athlete campaigned for a tough crackdown. "The IOC should immediately suspend the Belarusian Olympic Committee and allow all athletes from Belarus to start as neutral athletes under the Olympic flag," said Global Athlete General Director Rob Koehler of the Canadian TV broadcaster CBC.

The NOK of Belarus has been out of favor with the IOC for some time. Rulers Alexander Lukashenko, who also ran the NOK for a long time, and his son Viktor, who is now the head of the association, were banned from all Olympic activities, including the Tokyo Games. The leadership of the NOK around the Lukashenkos did not adequately protect athletes from political discrimination within the country's sports organizations, IOC boss Thomas Bach justified the sanctions last December. All financial donations for the NOK of Belarus have also been suspended for the time being.

The Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki spoke in the Timanowskaya case of a “criminal attempt to kidnap a sportswoman who is critical of the Belarusian regime”. Timanowskaja was also in the Polish embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday. There she expects the flight to Poland, said Vice Foreign Minister Marcin Przdacz of the BBC. "She is very welcome to continue her sporting career on Polish soil," he emphasized.

According to the IOC, it has contacted the National Olympic Committee of Poland with the question of how to support Timanovskaya in the future. "Our very first and foremost priority is the safety of the athletes," said IOC spokesman Adams. The approach of the IOC should not only encourage Belarusian athletes, but also all athletes that the umbrella organization will listen to their concerns with open ears.