In conflict with her federation and fearing for her safety if she returns home, Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya left Tokyo for Vienna.

She should then join Poland, which granted her a humanitarian visa. 

Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, in conflict with her country's sports authorities, left Tokyo-Narita airport for Vienna on Wednesday, a stopover most likely before reaching Poland, which granted her a humanitarian visa.

The 24-year-old was originally speculated to take a direct Tokyo-Warsaw flight operated by Polish company LOT on Wednesday.

But she changed her route at the last minute, boarding an Austrian Airlines plane for Vienna, AFP observed at the airport.

She made no statement to the press before her departure, which came shortly after 11:00 a.m. local time (02:00 GMT).

Criticisms against his federation

The sprinter claimed Sunday to have escaped forced repatriation to Belarus, a few days after openly criticizing the athletics federation of her country in the middle of the Tokyo Olympics.

She had been confined since Monday at the Polish embassy in Tokyo, without speaking to the media.

She had left the embassy early Wednesday in a car with tinted windows, so it was not possible to identify her for sure.

For security reasons, the Polish authorities did not wish to give any information in advance about his departure from Tokyo.

Representatives of the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF), an organization supporting athletes in the crosshairs of power in Minsk, expected to welcome KrystsinaTsimanouskaya upon his arrival in Warsaw, as well as other pro-democracy Belarusian activists.

She was afraid of ending up in jail

According to the athlete, her national federation wanted to force her at the last moment to participate in the 4x400-meter relay at the Tokyo Olympics, when she was initially supposed to run the 100 meters and 200 meters, a decision that had outraged her. .

Fearing that she would end up in prison if she returned to Belarus, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya had obtained Sunday evening help from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and police protection while she was at Tokyo-Haneda airport, on the verge of to be repatriated. 

The IOC has initiated an official investigation into the matter, also asking the Belarusian National Olympic Committee for an explanation.