Belarus athlete leaves Japan on Vienna-bound flight

TOKYO: Belarusian Olympic athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya left Japan on a Vienna-bound flight on Wednesday and was expected to head for Poland, where she has been offered a humanitarian visa.

The 24-year-old had been expected to take a direct flight to Warsaw but switched at the last minute, an airport official told reporters.

She boarded the flight at Narita airport outside Tokyo after travelling from the Polish embassy where she had spent the past two nights following claims her team tried to force her to return home after she criticised her coaches.

The sprinter declined to speak to the media at the airport, and her flight took off shortly after 11am local time (0200 GMT).

Tsimanouskaya sought protection from Tokyo…