WARSAW (Reuters) - Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who was removed from the Tokyo Olympics by the Belarusian team after she criticised her coaches, is auctioning a medal from the 2019 European Games to support athletes who say they have been targeted by authorities. Belarusian team officials took the 24-year-old to Tokyo's Haneda airport against her wishes on Aug. 1, a day before she had been set to run the 200m. Tsimanouskaya told Reuters https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/exclusive-olympics-belarusian-athlete-says-she-was-taken-airport-go-home-after-2021-08-01 the reason she had been removed from the team was her public criticism of "the negligence of our coaches." The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation, a group that supports athletes jailed or sidelined for their political views, said on Monday the medal was being auctioned at Tsimanouskaya's request in support of Belarusian athletes "who suffered from the actions of Lukashenko's regime." The crackdown has affected elite athletes, some of whom have been jailed for joining street protests.

Source: The Star August 09, 2021 09:19 UTC