[Source: Reuters]

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya who was removed from the Tokyo Olympic Games is auctioning a medal from the 2019 European Games to support athletes who say they have been targeted by authorities.

She was removed by the Belarusian team after she criticised her coaches.

The Belarusian team officials took the 24-year-old to Tokyo’s Haneda airport against her wishes a day before she had been set to run the 200m.

She refused to board the flight home and has since sought refuge in Poland, fearing for her safety if she returned to Belarus.

Tsimanouskaya told Reuters the reason she had been removed from the team was her public criticism of the negligence of the Belarusian coaches.

She said she had been entered in the 4x400m relay without her knowledge after some team members were found to be ineligible to compete because they had not undergone enough doping tests.

As of yesterday, bids for the medal had reached $5,200 on eBay.

[Source: Reuters]