Team officials "made it clear that, upon return home, I would definitely face some form of punishment," the 24-year-old sprinter told The Associated Press in a videocall interview from Tokyo. Earlier, Belarus’ National Olympic Committee told a state-run news agency that it was closely monitoring the situation and cooperating with the International Olympic Committee. In the interview, Tsimanouskaya also expressed worry for her parents, who remain in Belarus. Her husband, Arseni Zdanevich, told the AP that he decided to leave the country when Tsimanouskaya told him she wasn’t coming back. Lukashenko appears to have a particular interest in his country’s Olympic team: He and his son, Viktor, have led the Belarus National Olympic Committee for more than 25 years.

Source: Fox News August 03, 2021 23:48 UTC