Krystsina Tsimanouskaya during a press conference in Poland
Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said she feared for her safety after criticizing Belarusian Olympic officials
Attila Husejnow/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • A sprinter who defected during the Olympics is not allowed to know her own address for safety reasons.
  • Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is living in Poland having refused to board a plane back to Belarus.
  • Speaking to the FT, she said she can't order new clothes because her new address is secret.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who defected to Poland during the Tokyo Olympics, does not even know the address of her new home because of security concerns.

The Belarusian sprinter fled from Tokyo after she was ordered to return home, fearing that she may be imprisoned on her return.

Instead of going back to Belarus, she sought asylum in Poland where she and her husband have been living in an apartment provided by the Polish government. Speaking to the Financial Times, however, Tsimanouskaya said that their address has been withheld from them.

Tsimanouskaya spoke to journalist Magdalena Miecznicka for the "Lunch with the FT" interview. During their conversation, the reporter noticed the athlete shivering.

"I have very few clothes. In Tokyo, I only had the clothes they gave me, plus a pair of jeans and a T-shirt."

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya
Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said she has been taken to the airport against her wishes and will not return home.
Reuters

When asked if she had been shopping since she had been living in Poland or ordered clothes online, Tsimanouskaya said: "The thing is, we don't know our address."

"It's all good. This way they don't have to ban us from telling people where we live.

"We have a lovely room. There is a cook and everything is delicious. We are very grateful to Poland for the welcome and protection."

Tsimanouskaya was ordered to leave the Olympics after criticizing her coaches on social media. She says she was signed up for the 4 x 400 meter relay, an event she had never done before, before being withdrawn from her favored event, the 200 meters.

After refusing to board the plane, she was placed in the protection of Japanese police before being granted asylum in Poland.

During the same interview, Tsimanouskaya also said that she is not allowed to eat or drink anything that hasn't been checked by her minders, fearing that it may have been poisoned by Belarusian agents.

Tsimanouskaya now wishes to compete for her new country and is seeking a fast-tracked application to be able to do so.

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