UPDATE: Initial reports indicate that Krystsina Timanouskaya left Tokyo Narita (NRT), this morning aboard LOT Polish Airlines flight 80. She was due to arrive in Warsaw at 2:00pm. Poland granted her a humanity visa.Fearing that Belarusian officials might attempt to kidnap her on the flight, or in Poland, she boarded secretly Austrian Airlines flight 52. It departed Tokyo Narita at 11 :05 a.m. and will land in Vienna at 4 :05 p.m. today.She was seen earlier in the day leaving the Polish Embassy in Tokyo in a van with police officers escorting her.Krystsina, a Belarusian sprinter, has claimed that Belarusian authorities kidnapped and attempted to deport her to Belarus via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. She had complained about her coaches on Instagram. Tsimanouskaya fled to Tokyo Airport in an attempt to avoid a fate worse than her in Belarus. This incident is yet another chapter in the fallout of Ryanair Flight 4978 from Vilnius To Minsk, where dissident journalist Roman Protasevich was pulled from the plane and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega detained.Krystsina Tsimanouskaya Seeks Refuge At Tokyo Haneda Airport, Now Seeks Asylum In EuropeTsimanouskaya claims that members of the Belarusian Olympic Team run by Alexander Lukashenko's son, visited her room on Sunday to inform her that she was being removed from the team, and she would be going home. The Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul was given to her, and she was forced to go to the airport against all her wishes. She refused to board.Tsimanouskay, however, pleaded for help from Japanese police upon her arrival at Tokyo Haneda Airport. She was placed in protective custody to prevent her return to Belarus.Why Did Tsimanouskaya Seek Protection At Tokyo Haneda Airport?Reuters later got the following explanation from her:Because I posted on my Instagram about the negligence by our coaches, I was kicked out of the team.She said that it was when she was added to team at the last minute that trouble began.Because they had not completed enough doping testing, some of our girls didn't fly to Brazil to compete in the 4400m relay. The coach added me to this relay without my knowledge. This was something I discussed publicly. I was approached by the head coach who said that there had been an order to remove me.Officials in Belarus claimed that Tsimanouskaya was pulled from further competition because of her emotional and psychological state. This move was made ahead of the 200-meter women's race Tsimanouskaya was scheduled to compete in.The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation seeks to support athletes who were arrested and face repressions because they took part in peaceful manifestations. Tsimanouskay posted a Facebook video in which she stated (in Belarusian).I call the International Olympic Committee to ask for assistance. They have put pressure on me and are trying to remove me from the country without my consent. I ask the IOC to intervene.The International Olympic Committee noted:Krystsina TSymanouskaya was contacted by Tokyo 2020 and the IOC tonight. She is currently with Tokyo 2020 staff at Haneda airport. We have heard from her that she is safe. Tokyo 2020 and the IOC will continue to have conversations with Krystsina Tymanouskaya, the authorities and determine the next steps.However, it is unclear where she is currently. According to Reuters Japanese lawmaker Taiga Ishikawa attempted to visit her this morning but was told by authorities that she was not at the airport.Aliaksandra Sheasimenia is the head of the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation. She noted that Tsimanouskaya was seeking refugee status in Germany or Austria. Already, Poland reached out to Tsimanouskaya and offered its assistance.We reached out to several countries for assistance. The Polish consulate was the first to respond. We are open to accepting their assistance.Ryanair ParallelsTelegram: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an exiled Belarusian opposition leader, linked Tsimanouskaya's incident to Ryanair flight 4978. FR4978 was on its way from Athens, Vilnius, when officials at Belarusian air traffic control ordered it to land in Minsk. They claimed that there was a bomb threat aboard.Any Belarusian who leaves Belarus borders can be kidnapped just as Krystsina Timanouskaya and Roman Protasevich.Officials from the government have declined to comment.CONCLUSIONTsimanouskaya's current location is unknown. However, it seems that she will not have to return to Belarus. It was a strategic decision for her to defect to Japan instead of waiting until she reached Istanbul in Turkey. Now, she is awaiting asylum and hopes to land in Germany or Austria.
