DISINFO: Tsimanouskaya did not take part in the Olympics because “she got annoyed”
SUMMARY
Belarusian athletes do not compete in this Olympics for Lukashenka - just like the Polish athletes do not compete for Kaczyński. The Olympic teams are not governmental but national.
In this situation, should Tsimanouskaya have shown solidarity with her teammates and compatriots taking part in the race, even if she did not prepare for it? Does the upset mood of the athlete [Tsimanouskaya] hit the people who are not guilty of this mess – fans and other athletes (despite the arrogance of the Belarusian Olympic Committee led by the President’s son).
In this context, it is an exaggeration to make a hero out of a girl who did not take part in the Olympics because she got annoyed (even if her anger was aimed at the “dictator’s son”).
RESPONSE
The message connected to the recent political scandal around a Belarusian Olympic athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya.
The claim that Krystsina Tsimanouskaya did not take part in the Olympics “because she got annoyed” or dissatisfied with the Belarusian Olympic Committee is untrue. This athlete did not take part in the Olympics because of the political decision of the Belarusian authorities to forcefully return her to Belarus after she “dared” to criticise Belarusian team officials.
It is important to remember that the Olympic Games is a sensitive political issue in Belarus, as Alexander Lukashenka had been the Head of the Belarusian Olympic Committee for 24 years (1997-2021). Today, the Head of this Committee is Lukashenka's eldest son Viktor.
On 30 July 2021, Tsimanouskaya recorded a social media video criticising Belarusian Olympic Team officials for their attempts to make her run the 4×400 m relay race despite the fact that she never prepared or planned to take part in this race as she runs other distances. The Belarusian authorities reacted to this criticism by demanding her immediate return to Minsk. On 1 August 2021, Tsimanouskaya was brought to Tokyo Airport by two members of the Belarusian Olympic Team, who were to “made sure that she flies away from Tokyo”. In the airport, Tsimanouskaya asked Japanese Police for help in order to prevent her forceful expulsion from Japan.
At the present moment, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is in Poland, which provided her with humanitarian assistance. The International Olympic Committee initiated an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, two Belarusian coaches involved in the attempt forceful expulsion of Tsimanouskaya from Japan lost their Olympic accreditation.
Read other disinformation messages connected to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo - Russian athletes are forbidden to compete under the Russian flag because of the West's Cold War against Russia; WADA decision against Russia is an unfounded punishment and Banning Russia from the Olympics is a modern form of racism.