Olympics-Belarusian sprinter auctions medal to support athletes caught up in crackdown

FILE PHOTO: Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who left the Olympic Games in Tokyo and seeks asylum in Poland, attends a news conference in Warsaw, Poland August 5, 2021. REUTERS/Darek Golik

WARSAW (Reuters) - Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who was removed from the Tokyo Olympics by the Belarusian team after she criticised her coaches, is auctioning a medal from the 2019 European Games to support athletes who say they have been targeted by authorities.

Belarusian team officials took the 24-year-old to Tokyo's Haneda airport against her wishes on Aug. 1, a day before she had been set to run the 200m.