One year after Olympic desertion, Belarusians dream of the Paris Olympic Games

A year ago, sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya's life was turned upside down when she refused to board a plane back to Belarus after being kicked out of the Tokyo Olympics by her own team.

The initial controversy over Tsimanuskaya's participation in the 4x400m relay, which prompted a defection, became one of the biggest stories of the Olympics and highlighted the pressure Belarusian athletes face for defying authority.

Tsimanouskaya, who was forced to leave the Olympics after criticizing her coach for entering her in an event she was not up to, fears her safety will be affected if she returns to Belarus and takes refuge in Poland.

She is in the process of obtaining Polish citizenship and the necessary documents to play for the national team there.

The 25-year-old is also hoping to have a chance at the Olympics again and hopes to compete in the 200m at the Paris Olympics in 2024, which she was due to do a day after Belarus removed her from the team.

“I was disappointed that I didn’t run the distance I was ready for,” Tsimanuskaya told Reuters in a video interview from her home in Warsaw. “But I haven’t lost hope. I'm still training here. I dream of returning to the Olympics, this time I ran my distance and did well.”

Tsimanouskaya, who can only compete at lower levels while awaiting naturalization, said she missed out on the elite competition.

“I thank Poland for allowing me to play some games,” he said. “But as an athlete in the Olympics, it's hard for me to realize that I'm competing with kids now.”

Currently, Belarusians and Russians are barred from participating in international athletics competitions because of Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

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