Timanovskaya Fired From Belarus' Olympic Training Center - Opposition Foundation

Timanovskaya Fired From Belarus' Olympic Training Center - Opposition Foundation

MINSK/VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th August, 2021) Sprinter Kristina Timanovksaya was fired from Belarus' national Olympic training center and risks losing her job at the Ministry of Internal Affairs as well if she fails to show up there by morning, the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) said on Wednesday.

Timanovksaya has refused to return to Belarus after completing her performance in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

"Kristina Timanovksaya has been fired from the Republican Olympic training center and seconded to the interior ministry. If Kristina does not appear in the ministry at 12:00 p.m. local time [9:00 GMT] on August 5, she will be fired from the ministry as well," the foundation wrote on Telegram.

The athlete was notified personally earlier today, the BSSF specified.

Meanwhile, the plane with Timanovskaya on board took off from Vienna at 7:22 p.m. local time (17:22 GMT) and is heading for Warsaw, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The scandal around Timanovskaya erupted last week. The athlete was supposed to take part in the women's 100m and 200m sprints at the Tokyo Olympics. However, her coaches decided to involve her in the 4 x 400m relay as well after two Belarusian athletes were found ineligible to compete due to insufficient drug testing. Timanovskaya criticized the decision on social media, saying she was not ready to take part in this competition.

Afterward, the National Olympic Committee of Belarus said the coaching staff of the Belarusian athletics team decided to send the sprinter home due to her emotional state. Timanovskaya, in turn, claimed that the Belarusian authorities "forcibly" tried to make her return home, adding that she will seek asylum in Europe.

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said on Monday that Timanovskaya was granted a Polish humanitarian visa.