Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who defected during the Tokyo Olympics this month, said on Wednesday that she plans to apply for Polish sporting citizenship so that she can run for Poland.
Tsimanouskaya, 24, was taken in by Warsaw when her coaches told her to return to Belarus from Japan following a dispute — an order she refused to obey, fearing for her safety.
In an interview with the RBC television channel aired late Wednesday, Tsimanouskaya said it can take three years to change sporting citizenship, but hoped her application would be fast-tracked.
Belarus has been gripped by a sweeping crackdown on anti-government dissent following mass protests that erupted last year over a disputed election.
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