The International Olympic Committee said Friday it has stripped two Belarus coaches of Tokyo Olympic accreditation over their alleged involvement in trying to force sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya to fly home.
Belarus athletics head coach Yuri Moisevich and team official Artur Shumak have also been asked to leave the athletes' village immediately and have done so, said the IOC, which has launched a probe into the case of the sprinter, who arrived in Poland on Wednesday after seeking asylum.
"They will be offered an opportunity to be heard," the IOC said, adding the revocation was made Thursday night "in the interest of the wellbeing of the athletes of the (National Olympic Committee) of Belarus who are still in Tokyo and as a provisional measure."
Tsimanouskaya refused to board a flight back home on Sunday and sought protection from Japanese police at Tokyo's Haneda airport. She had said she was being forced to return to Belarus for criticizing her coaches on social media and she feared for her safety if she returned home.
The IOC's disciplinary commission has been set up to establish the facts in the case of the runner following the receipt Wednesday of a report from the Belarusian Olympic committee, headed by Viktor Lukashenko, son of the country's President Alexander Lukashenko.
The episode of the 24-year-old athlete could put further pressure on Belarus, which has been under Western sanctions for the president's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters since last year.
While speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, IOC President Thomas Bach said that the incident is "deplorable" and "We are happy that she is safe in Poland."
Lukashenko and his son have been banned from attending the Tokyo Olympics amid allegations of discrimination against athletes who took part in protests against the president's controversial re-election in August 2020.
The Belarusian Olympic committee released a statement saying the two coaches will return to Minsk soon but "they reserve the right to appeal against the decision."
"We remain committed to continuing the dialogue and are working in close contact with the IOC to clarify all the circumstances of the decision," said the committee, which earlier said it had withdrawn her from the Olympics "based on doctors' advice regarding her emotional and psychological state."
Tsimanouskaya had complained via social media that she was entered in the 4x400-meter relay despite having never competed in the event. She ran in the 100 meters but did not qualify for the semifinals and had been due to make an appearance in the 200-meter heats on Monday but did not compete.
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