A Belarusian sprinter voiced fears for her safety as she refused an order to fly home early from the Olympics for criticising her coaches.
Krystsina Tsimanouskaya says she was forced to pack before being taken to the airport in Tokyo against her will.
The 24-year-old says she sought police protection at the terminal so she would not have to board the flight.
“I think I am safe. I am with the police,” she was heard saying, as she was pictured surrounded by officers.
The sprinter, who was due to compete in the women’s 200m event on Monday, had complained on social media about being entered into another race at short notice.
She says she was “put under pressure” by team officials to return home and asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for help.
“They are trying to get me out of the country without my permission,” she said in a video posted on the Telegram channel of the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF), a group that supports athletes jailed or sidelined for their political views.
The IOC said it was seeking clarification from Belarussian officials – who earlier said she was taken off the team because of her “emotional and psychological condition”.
The IOC said it had spoken to Ms Tsimanouskaya. “She has told us she feels safe,” it said.
The flight took off without Ms Tsimanouskaya on board. She is now “safe” and in police protection, the BSSF’s Anatol Kotau told the BBC.
“The police are securing safety for her right now,” he said, but added she was not sure where she would spend the night.
Earlier Ms Tsimanouskaya told radio station European Radio for Belarus (ERB) she was afraid to return to her country.
She had previously alleged in a video posted online that she was entered into this Thursday’s 400m relay event at short notice by Belarusian officials, after some teammates were found to be ineligible to compete.
State media criticised her after she posted the video, with ONT television channel saying that she lacked “team spirit”.
On Sunday she says that officials came to her room and gave her an hour to to pack before being escorted to Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
The sprinter told Reuters she was removed from her team because she “spoke on my Instagram about the negligence of our coaches”.
The BSSF was set up in August 2020 to support athletes during protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, re-elected last year in a disputed presidential vote.
Government forces brutally cracked down after hundreds of thousands protested about the election. Some of those who took part were also national-level athletes, who were stripped of funding, cut from national teams and detained for demonstrating.
bbc
