Belarusian runner who feared going home lands in Poland

WARSAW, Poland — Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who feared for her safety at home after criticizing her coaches on social media, flew into Warsaw on Wednesday night on a humanitarian visa after leaving the Tokyo Olympics, a Polish diplomat confirmed.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said the 24-year-old athlete had arrived in the Polish capital after flying in from Tokyo via Vienna, a route chosen to confuse those who would endanger her safety.

The plane that she was traveling on from Vienna was directed to a separate airport building in Warsaw used by government officials. Police vans were seen all over the airport. Passengers from the flight told reporters that one young woman was left on board as they exited the plane and were put on buses to the main terminal.

Ms. Tsimanouskaya later was seen with a top Belarusian dissident in Poland, Pavel Latushko, in a photo taken just after her arrival inside the airport building.

“We are glad that Kristina Tsimanovskaya managed to get to Warsaw safely!” Mr. Latushko said on Twitter, adding he hopes she will be able to return to a “New Belarus” and continue her career there.

In a dramatic weekend standoff at the Tokyo Games, Ms. Tsimanouskaya said Belarus team officials tried to force her to fly home early after she criticized them. She urged the International Olympic Committee to look into the dispute and some European countries stepped in to offer assistance.

It’s not clear what’s next for the runner — either in her sporting life or her personal one. Before she left Japan, she said she hoped to continue her running career but that safety was her immediate priority.

Her husband fled Belarus this week shortly after his wife said she would not be returning, and Poland has also offered him a visa.

In the AP interview, Ms. Tsimanouskaya expressed concern for her parents, who remain in Belarus.

Two other Belarusian athletes announced their intention to stay abroad.