Belarus sprinter: Grandmother advised her not to return home

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Belarusian Olympic sprinter who feared reprisals at home after criticizing her coaches at the Tokyo Games says that her grandmother advised her not to return to Belarus. Following a dramatic standoff, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya left the Games and arrived in Poland on Wednesday. Days earlier she accused team officials of trying to force her to fly back to Belarus, where an authoritarian government has relentlessly pursued its critics. In footage posted on Facebook, the runner could be seen smiling as she spoke to a Polish official in a VIP section of the airport and also hugging a Belarus opposition leader. Many of the country’s activists have fled to Poland. The Polish government has granted the sprinter a humanitarian visa.