Belarusian athlete's husband receives Polish humanitarian visa

The Polish government's spokesman said on Wednesday that the husband of Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has also been given a Polish humanitarian visa.

Piotr Mueller announced at a Wednesday press conference that the Belarusian Olympian Krystsina Tsimanouskaya remains under the care of the Polish diplomatic services. However, he declined to provide details of her arrival from Tokyo for security reasons. He assured that such discretion resulted from the procedures used.

He also said that Poland "concurrently" granted a humanitarian visa to Tsimanouskaya's husband.

On Sunday, the Belarusian runner said that due to criticism and the actions of the sports authorities of her country, she was removed from participation in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Officials attempted to force her to leave for Belarus via Istanbul. However, she managed to contact the airport police and, as a result, did not fly out of Tokyo.

On Monday, Tsimanouskaya received a Polish humanitarian visa at the Polish Embassy. Polish diplomats offered her protection and assistance in travelling to Poland.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Marcin Przydacz, explained on Tuesday in an interview with the British Sky News station that the most important thing for the Polish side is to prevent Tsimanouskaya from being taken to Belarus against her will.

Also on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki posted on Facebook that he has "assured Krystsina Tsimanouskaya that she can count on support and solidarity from Poland." He added that Poland will continue to provide active support to the Belarusian people and opponents of the country's Alexandr Lukashenko regime.