Which country had one of its athletes defect during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics?
After Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said on Instagram that she was put in the 4×400 relay, even though she has never raced in the event, her team officials hustled her to the airport to put her on a plane back to Belarus. After managing to escape, Tsimanouskaya has received a humanitarian visa from Poland. In an interview with the Associated Press, the Belarusian sprinter said that officials from her team had made it clear she would face punishment if she returned home. The International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday, Aug 3, 2021, that it had launched a formal investigation into the case and was expecting a report from the Belarusian team._x000D_
Lukashenko and the Olympics fact:
_x000D_Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is very involved in his country’s Olympic team: He and his son, Viktor, have led the Belarus National Olympic Committee for more than 25 years. Both were banned from the Tokyo Games by the IOC, which investigated complaints from athletes that they faced intimidation during the crackdown on anti-government protests over the last year.