Kristsina Timanovskaya
After her flight from the Olympic Games, the Belarusian sprinter Kristina Timanowskaja got on the plane to Vienna.
The 24-year-old runner started her escape from the Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko from Japan on Wednesday morning and was taken to Narita Airport north of Tokyo. There the 24-year-old should actually have boarded a plane to Poland to apply for asylum there. However, the plan of the Belarusian runner was changed at short notice, as a spokesman told “Reuters”.
Due to security concerns, the flight route of the Olympic starter was changed at short notice by consulate employees. The AUA machine with Timanowskaja on board is expected around 4 p.m. in Vienna-Schwechat. The Foreign Ministry has already confirmed to the “APA” that the 24-year-old is on board.
After that, the sprinter should travel on to Warsaw. Timanowskaja had received a humanitarian visa from Poland in order not to have to return to Belarus and had already been in the Polish embassy for the past few days.
On Sunday the case around the athlete started rolling. Timanovskaya had expressed criticism of her coach and was supposed to be kidnapped – apparently on the orders of dictator Lukashenko – and brought back to Belarus. The 24-year-old finally spoke to the police at Haneda Airport. This prevented the premature return to Belarus.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has now responded to the incidents and launched an investigation.
