PM assures Polish aid for Tsimanouskaya
Defected Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya can count on Poland's help, the Polish prime minister wrote on Facebook on Tuesday after speaking with Tsimanouskaya.
"I assured Krystsina Tsimanouskaya that she can count on support and solidarity from Poland," Mateusz Morawiecki wrote. He added that Poland will continue to provide active support to the Belarusian people and opponents of the country's Alexandr Lukashenko regime.
Referring to his earlier talks with the asylum-seeking athlete, Morawiecki said she was safe and well protected.
Morawiecki said Tsimanouskaya will arrive in Warsaw in the coming days, where she will be able to continue her sporting career and receive further assistance if she so wished.
Tsimanouskaya, who refused to board a plane to Belarus in Tokyo on Sunday after being expelled from the Belarusian Olympic squad for critical remarks about a coach, was admitted to the Polish embassy in Tokyo and was met by the Polish ambassador.
On Monday, a Polish deputy foreign minister confirmed that Tsimanouskaya was in the protection of the Polish diplomatic and consular services.
Tsimanouskaya has been granted a Polish humanitarian visa and is expected to depart Tokyo for Warsaw on Wednesday. She is reportedly planning to apply for political asylum in Germany or Austria.
