Status: 08/19/2021 5:25 p.m.
The Belarusian sprinter Timanoswkaja has been in Poland for two weeks – since she was apparently brought to Belarus from the Olympic Games in Tokyo against her will. Now she wants to become a Polish citizen.
The athlete Kristina Timanowskaja does not want to go back to Belarus: Instead, she has announced that she will seek Polish citizenship. She had decided to stay in Poland, the 24-year-old told the Russian broadcaster RBC in the evening – and that she would then also compete for the Polish team in the event.
According to her, it normally takes three years before such a change is possible for athletes. “But we will ask that this deadline be shortened in my case, as it is a rather ambiguous situation,” the sprinter continued.
Poland signals approval
“We are delighted and congratulate us on the decision,” said Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz, commenting on the athlete’s announcement on Twitter. “Poland is the greatest country in the world.”
Timanovskaya claims to have been brought back to her native Belarus against her will after a conflict with sports officials at the Tokyo Olympics. She feared repression in the authoritarian country and refused to board a plane to Belarus. Instead, she then turned to the Japanese police and the International Olympic Committee.
The athlete was then admitted to the Polish embassy in Tokyo. Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki said that Timanowskaja could count on “support and solidarity from Poland”. Timanovskaya and her husband then received a humanitarian visa for Poland.
After the presidential election on August 9, 2020, there were mass demonstrations against Lukashenko in the ex-Soviet republic. Athletes were also affected by the government’s massive action against opposition and dissenters.