Cimanouska thunders about Belarusians at the competition. “I don’t want to stand next to them”

Kryscina Cimanouska was born in Belarus, but she opposes the regime of Aleksander Łukaszenko. During the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, she criticized her coaching staff, as a result of which they tried to send her back to Belarus. The athlete was transported to the airport but managed to escape and reported the matter to the police. She received a humanitarian visa from the Polish authorities, and has recently also obtained a Polish passport. However, the organizers of international athletic competitions still consider her Belarusian and she cannot take part in many of them. Cimanouska argues that she wants nothing to do with the regime in her homeland.

Kryscina Cimanouska wants to start normally. “The last year and a half has been very hard”

Kryscina Comanouska took part in the Orlen Copernicus Cup meeting, where she took seventh place in the 60-meter run. For the sprinter, starting in Poland is currently the only option to participate in the competition, because World Athletics still recognizes her as a Belarusian. In addition, she has a three-year grace period related to the change of national colors. The Polish representative would like to return to normal starts and be able to prepare for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

– This is a difficult topic for me. I have citizenship, but by World Athletics I am still considered Belarusian and I cannot take part in foreign competitions. We have sent a letter and are waiting for a decision. This is a serious problem for me, because I couldn’t run in the summer season, and now I can only run in Poland. I think that in my case there should be some shortening of this period, but it does not depend on me, argues Cimanouska in an interview with .

World Athletics’ decision is so incomprehensible that Cimanouska openly admits that she wants nothing to do with the regime in Belarus. For months, the competitor has been criticizing the actions of the local authorities and criticizing athletes who support Lukashenko’s regime.

– Those who stayed are for Lukashenko and for the war in Ukraine. I don’t want to race with them on the same track. This may be a strong opinion, but I don’t want to stand next to them. And I think there are many like me. Now almost all the athletes who stayed behind support the war. Those who were against have the same problems as me. This is about 50 players who escaped and can’t start normally now, because they have Belarusian citizenship and a three-year grace period. This is a difficult topic for all of us – adds the sprinter.

For Cimanouska, the lack of starts is difficult and does not allow her to maintain her optimal condition. In addition, the sprinter was going through a difficult period related to moving to Poland and a complete change of environment.

– The last year and a half has been very hard. And I still don’t feel the way I did before the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In Poland, I feel at home just like in Minsk. When I came here, I didn’t know the language at all, and now I speak it quite well. In addition, I started my studies at the University of Physical Education in Warsaw and work as a personal trainer – she finished.