For the sportspeople who opposed the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, life looks very different, with many in exile. But what has happened since they left Belarus? DW spoke to some of those making new lives elsewhere.
During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the fate of Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya attracted worldwide attention. She wanted to run in the 100 and 200-meters, for which she had qualified, but her coaches put her on the list for the 4x400-meter relay without her knowledge or permission.
The runner complained about this on social media, saying she had never competed in 400-meter events before. The response of the Belarusian leadership was to exclude her from the Games and try to forcibly bring her back home. But at the Tokyo airport, the sprinter refused to get on the plane and asked the Japanese police for help. Eventually, she got it, in the form of a humanitarian visa, and was able to fly to Poland.
Just a few years ago, the 25-year-old was a star of Belarusian sport. But athletes who showed solidarity with demonstrators and openly opposed the regime of leader Alexander Lukashenko after the contested Belarusian presidential elections in August 2020, saw their sports careers come to an end from that moment onwards. In their home country, at least.
Timanovskaya could not have dreamt that she would be forced to leave Belarus, but she's now been living and training in Warsaw for half a year.
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From sports stars to exiles: Belarusian athletes on life abroad
17 hours ago
For the sportspeople who opposed the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, life looks very different, with many in exile. But what has happened since they left Belarus? DW spoke to some of those making new lives elsewhere.
During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the fate of Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya attracted worldwide attention. She wanted to run in the 100 and 200-meters, for which she had qualified, but her coaches put her on the list for the 4x400-meter relay without her knowledge or permission.
The runner complained about this on social media, saying she had never competed in 400-meter events before. The response of the Belarusian leadership was to exclude her from the Games and try to forcibly bring her back home. But at the Tokyo airport, the sprinter refused to get on the plane and asked the Japanese police for help. Eventually, she got it, in the form of a humanitarian visa, and was able to fly to Poland.
Just a few years ago, the 25-year-old was a star of Belarusian sport. But athletes who showed solidarity with demonstrators and openly opposed the regime of leader Alexander Lukashenko after the contested Belarusian presidential elections in August 2020, saw their sports careers come to an end from that moment onwards. In their home country, at least.
Timanovskaya could not have dreamt that she would be forced to leave Belarus, but she's now been living and training in Warsaw for half a year.
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"I have said from the beginning that I want to continue my sports career as part of the Polish national team. This question is still under consideration. But I already had an offer to join a sports club and a month later I started training. Now the procedure to change my 'sports citizenship' is underway," she told DW.
In Warsaw, Timanovskaya was also able to realize a long-standing ambition: She created her own sportswear brand "Be strong".
"Part of the product is decorated with a heart. It consists of words of support that people have sent me: be strong, be brave, don't give up, believe in freedom," she added.
She is currently planning a summer collection and may design clothes for home training.
'I feel comfortable in Vilnius'
The former captain of the Belarusian national basketball team, Katsiaryna Snytsina, also lives abroad. She has not been back home for 1 1/2 years. Even before the presidential election in August 2020, she had flown to Turkey because she is registered for a club there. But the protest movement in Belarus did not pass her by.
"In the first few days, I could not reach my family and friends in Minsk. Later, I found out that relatives of mine and many of my fans were arrested and beaten. So I couldn't stay silent and I supported people who also helped me with my sports career," she told DW. Despite the stress caused by the events in Belarus, the 2020 season was successful for her, with her team finishing third in the Turkish championship.
"When my contract expired in May, I thought about returning to Belarus. But I went to Lithuania and stayed there all summer. There I took part in solidarity actions and protests, gave interviews and spoke about the situation in Belarus," she said.
Now she is playing in Turkey again, but after the end of the season she wants to go back to Vilnius. "I feel comfortable there," said the 36-year-old.
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