A dispute between a Belarusian athlete and officials over whether she should run a relay at the Tokyo track has morphed into an international incident, with the athlete in protective custody at an airport hotel and the UNHCR now involved. | Melbchief
A ham-fisted dispute between a Belarusian athlete and team officials over whether she should run a relay at the Tokyo track has morphed into an international incident, with the athlete in protective custody at an airport hotel and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees now involved.
Victor Lukashenko, the eldest son of the Belarus president, is the president of the Belarus National Olympic Committee, the organisation that sent two team officials to Tsimanouskaya’s room in the Olympic village on Sunday afternoon to escort her to the airport and load her on to a flight to Minsk.news site reported Tsimanouskaya as saying late on Sunday night. “I am not afraid that I will be fired or kicked out of the national command.
The IOC also does not recognise Victor Lukashenko as the head of Belarus’ NOC. Victor was given the title when his father, a former officer in the Soviet army, relinquished it earlier this year. Lukashenko’s personal interest and political investment in sport means that any Belarus officials sent to Tokyo to chaperone their athletes are likely to be cronies of the regime.
Belarus’ response was to engage in state-sanctioned gaslighting, with a statement released by the Belarus NOC claiming it had withdrawn Tsimanouskaya from competition because of her “emotional and psychological state.″ Kovalchuk is a career soldier who worked in the president’s personal security detail. When he was appointed to the sports post in March, Lukashenko told local media that he wanted to see greater discipline across the national sports system.“Think, see who to work with, build a system. But the main thing is that it lacks discipline. The coaching staff works disgustingly, with the exception of some.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Disturbing video emerges after Olympic ‘kidnapping’Belarusian athlete Kristina Timanovskaya said Monday morning she was “safe” and under police protection in Japan after claiming her country had forced her to leave the Tokyo Olympics.
Read more »
Belarusian sprinter says she was forcibly taken to the airport in Tokyo and refuses to return homeA Belarusian sprinter refused to get on a flight from Tokyo on Sunday after being taken to the airport against her wishes by her team following her complaints about national coaching staff at the Olympic Games.
Read more »
‘Can we have two golds’: Bizarre high-jump finish after Starc’s giant leapGianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim opted to share gold while the vagaries of the countback spared Brandon Starc from becoming the second Australian in as many days to finish fourth.
Read more »
Hawks tame the Lions to set Clarkson farewell tour off in styleAlastair Clarkson’s farewell tour with the Hawks has got off to a wonderful start, but the AFL strugglers were made to sweat as Brisbane mounted a late charge. agerealfooty
Read more »
Faced with a 'jump off' in Tokyo, these Olympic athletes chose to share goldItaly's Lamont Marcell Jacobs won the men's 100 metres final just a few minutes after compatriot Gianmarco Tamberi had agreed to share the men's high jump gold with his friend, Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim.
Read more »
Walker runs rings around Red V as Rabbitohs romp to victorySouth Sydney and St George Illawarra squared off at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night in a match which would have playoff implications for each squad.
Read more »