She said she feared for her life if forced back to Belarus, which has been wracked by political upheaval and a crackdown on dissent after disputed elections that returned strongman Alexander Lukashenko to power last year.

Tsimanouskaya is one of more than 2,000 Belarusian sports figures who signed an open letter calling for new elections and for political prisoners to be freed.

But her trouble in Tokyo came after she posted on her Instagram, criticising her coaches for entering her into a race without informing her first.

Belarus sprinter made decision to defect ‘in some 10 seconds’

The IOC said the two coaches “will be offered an opportunity to be heard” but that the measures against them were taken “in the interest of the well-being of the athletes” from Belarus who are still in Tokyo.

Tsimanouskaya, 24, arrived in Warsaw on Wednesday after being granted a humanitarian visa, saying she was “happy to be in safety”.

The row blew up after Tsimanouskaya, who was entered in the 100 and 200 metres, complained about being entered into the 4x400m relay without being consulted.

She said she was “surprised that the situation became such a political scandal because it started out as a sporting issue”, adding that “she was “not thinking about political asylum” in EU member Poland.

“I just want to pursue my sporting career,” Tsimanouskaya said.

The alleged attempt to return Tsimanouskaya to Belarus has prompted condemnation, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accusing Minsk of “another act of transnational repression”.

Belarus sprinter says punishment awaited her back home

In power since 1994, Lukashenko sparked international outrage in May by dispatching a fighter jet to intercept a Ryanair plane flying from Greece to Lithuania to arrest a dissident on board.

Belarus has also been in the crosshairs of the IOC since last year. Lukashenko and his son Viktor have been banned from Olympic events over the targeting of athletes for their political views.

Shortly before the Tokyo Games, Lukashenko warned sports officials and athletes that he expected results in Japan.

“Think about it before going,” he said. “If you come back with nothing, it’s better for you not to come back at all.”

Police said they had opened a murder probe and would pursue all leads including “murder disguised as suicide”, while activists accused authorities of “an operation … to liquidate a Belarusian who presented a true danger to the regime”.

On arrival in Warsaw, Tsimanouskaya urged her fellow “Belarusians to stop being afraid and to speak out if they feel some pressure”.

Additional reporting by Reuters and Associated Press