Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said on Thursday she made the decision to flee to Poland from Tokyo after receiving warnings from her family that it was not safe to return home.
Speaking at a press conference in Warsaw, Tsimanouskaya said she had been warned by her grandmother that she should not return to Belarus “because on TV, they say a lot of bad words about you, that you have some mental problems.”
“She told me I must not come back to Belarus,” the 24-year-old athlete said.
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Tsimanouskaya said her parents had also warned her that Belarusians were being urged to “write hateful things about me” on social media.
The athlete flew to Poland on Wednesday after refusing to return to Belarus from the Tokyo Olympics following a fallout with her coaches that seemingly angered the country’s sports-loving strongman.
Tsimanouskaya said she had been ordered by her coaches to return to her homeland after she publicly criticized them for trying to force her to compete in an event she had never run in before.
The sprinter told reporters on Thursday that her coaches had come to her room and urged her to pretend to have an injury and return home.
She has said she was taken to Haneda Airport against her wishes on Sunday, but managed to escape team officials and instead seek the protection of Japanese police.
The athlete said she used Google translate to show police at the airport a translated plea for help on her phone as she tried to avoid being put on a plane back home.
Tsimanouskaya received an outpouring of support from countries around the world, with Poland granting her a humanitarian visa on Monday.
The 24-year-old said she decided to go to Poland in hopes of being able to continue her sports career.
She also said that she chose to seek refuge in the country because she knew her parents and husband would not have trouble visiting the country.
The athlete said her husband was already on his way to Warsaw to be with her.
Speaking with The Associated Press in a video call earlier this week, Tsimanouskaya had said that she feared that she would face punishment if she returned to Belarus.
The 24-year-old said team officials had “made it clear that upon return home, I would definitely face some form of punishment.”
Asked how that was made clear, Tsimanouskaya said that “the key phrase was that ‘we didn’t make the decision for you to go home, it was decided by other people, and we were merely ordered to make it happen.’”
Tsimanouskaya’s escape to Poland comes as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko continues to face international criticism over his brutal crackdown on political opponents and critics.
The authoritarian leader sparked widespread outrage after his government diverted a plane to the capital of Minsk, leading to the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich, an outspoken critic of Lukashenko’s regime.
During Thursday’s press conference, Tsimanouskaya said she wanted to “extend help to any person” in a situation similar to hers.
She also said she hoped that Belarusians facing pressure from their authoritarian government will be able to speak out and said she would be willing to “act on their behalf.”
The athlete sad she would only consider returning to Belarus if she felt convinced that it would be safe to do so.
Until then, she said: “I’m happy to be here, happy to be in safety.”
Chantal Da Silva contributed.