Belarus Olympic athlete says taken to airport against her wishes

Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya asks the IOC for help, accusing her national team of trying to remove her from Japan.

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for assistance, alleging she had been removed from the national team and taken to Tokyo airport against her wishes to be returned home over her criticism of national coaches. “I am asking the International Olympic Committee for help,” Tsimanouskaya said in a video on Sunday, posted on the Telegram channel of the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation, a group that supports athletes jailed or sidelined for their political views. “There is pressure against me. They are trying to get me out of the country without my permission. I am asking the IOC to get involved.”