Factbox: Big failures in sports

August 5 (Reuters) – Belarus sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya refused to go home and sought asylum at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, saying she feared for her safety after criticizing her coaches on social media. Read more

Timanovskaya is a group of athletes who have sought political asylum during the Games and other major international events over the years. Here are some other highlights:

MARIE PROVAZNIKOVA, 1948 LONDON GAMES

At the 1948 London Games, Czechoslovak women’s gymnastics coach Provaznikova became the first known failure of the Olympics when she refused to return home. He said he had sought asylum in England because of a “lack of freedom” in Prague.

HUNGARIAN COMPETITIONS, 1956 MELBOURNE GAMES

The Melbourne Olympics were held just weeks after Soviet forces brutally suppressed the Hungarian uprising. The Hungarian contingent got the news breeze after landing in Australia, and several athletes went to the United States after the Games.

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, in 1975

Former tennis player Navratilova moved from her native Czechoslovakia at the age of 18 in 1975 and sought political asylum in the United States. He was denied the right to compete in the United States, where most major tournaments were played and where he later moved.

JAWID AMAN MUKHAMAD, 1996 ATLANTIC GAME

Afghan boxer Jawid Aman Mukhamad from Afghanistan, the country’s flagship at the 1996 Atlanta Games, sought political asylum in Canada after the Afghan authorities accused him of being a communist because he had practiced in Russia and told him he was not allowed to compete in the games.

RAED AHMED, 1996 ATLANTA GAMES

Iraqi weightlifter Ahmed marched with the flag of his country at the opening of the Atlanta Games only to map it later and move to the United States. Ahmed opposed Saddam Hussein’s regime and feared execution in his home country.

ORLANDO HERNANDEZ, 1997

The Cuban was banned from baseball in 1996 when his half-brother, pitcher Livan Hernandez had moved to the United States a year earlier. In December 1997, Orlando, part of the gold team that won the Barcelona Olympics, decided to follow his brother to the United States and continue playing for the New York Yankees.

AFRICAN COMPETITIONS, 2012 LONDON GAMES

Seven Cameroonian athletes disappeared from a London Olympic village and are suspected of leaving for Europe due to economic opportunities. Several Sudanese runners applied for asylum in Britain due to poor living conditions at home.

CESAR PRIETO, 2021

One of Cuba’s most popular baseball players, Prieto escaped from the national team’s camp upon arrival in Florida to participate in the Tokyo Olympics qualifier. He moved to the United States hoping to sign a professional contract in Major League Baseball.

Compiled by Dhruv Munjal and Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru Editor Christian Radnedge

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