World News for Students of English

09-08-2021 07:00

Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya took refuge in the Polish embassy in Tokyo after she accused team officials of trying to force her to leave the Tokyo Games early.

It happened a day after she refused her team’s order to board a flight home from the Olympic Games.

The athlete urged sports authorities to take action against her head coach who, according to her, stopped her from competing further in the Games. The standoff began after Tsimanouskaya criticizded how officials were managing her team, and she set off a massive backlash in state-run media back home.

The runner said on her Instagram account that she was put in the 4x400m relay even though she’d never raced in the event. She was then barred from competing in the 200 meters.

Tsimanouskaya said that the hoped to continue her career; however, safety remained her priority. She wants sports authorities to investigate who gave the order and who made the decision that she couldn’t compete anymore.

Difficult words: refuge (protection or shelter from danger or trouble), standoff (a situation in which neither side wins a competition or argument), backlash (a strong negative reaction by a large number of people).

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