Thread by @Den_2042

Transcript of the leaked recording of the conversation between Krystsina Tsimanouskaya and 2 Belarus sport officials: the head of the Belarus athletics team Yuri Moisevich and Belarus athletics team representative Artur Shumak.
Full text.

Shumak: Well, we have a situation here. It must be resolved somehow. There is no way around it. And we've got the following instruction: You’re flying home today.

Just let me finish and don’t rush to any conclusions. The situation is that there is a big ask: You come home — you don’t write anything anywhere, and you don’t make any comments. Let me convey to you word for word what I've been told, just to avoid any [misunderstanding] later.

If you want to compete again for the Republic of Belarus, then listen to what they’re recommending for you: go back [to Belarus], come home, go to your parents or wherever you like. Just drop all this.

Otherwise, the more you twitch, you'll be like a fly landing in a spider's web: the more it struggles, the more entangled it gets. That's it. That’s how life works. We do stupid things. You did a stupid thing. I hope you understand this. This is what you need to get out of.

Krystsina: Do you realize you did a stupid thing also?

Moisevich: That's for them to judge [later].

Krystsina: Just tell me, do you? Or you did everything [right]?

Shumak: Me. I did nothing wrong.

Krystsina: In other words, there was no need to inform me, was it?

Shumak: Let me explain it to you again. Above everything else you’re here representing the team of the Republic of Belarus.

Krystsina: I get it [indistictively].

Shumak: This is not your fault. But you are to blame for the allegations and statements you made. Can't you see, you accuse - [and that spreads] through the entire country - people without full understanding of what is it and how does it work. You need to get it through your head

Think about it. Do you know what your stupidity could do here? People could lose their jobs. People have families. Do you understand? Through your stupidity, you could end up ruining people’s lives, Kristina. But people will forgive you for this — that’s not the main thing here.

We want to help you, so this situation ends and goes away. Everyone makes mistakes in life. We didn’t notify you because nobody planned that you’d be running. Somebody was just winding you up, whoever sent you the [lineup sheet]. And you gave into these emotions.

Before doing so, you ought to wait until Mr. Moisevich or I could reach you. I was just physically incapable of contacting you — I don’t have mobile Internet across all of Japan. That's it. And you just rushed ahead. That was your mistake.

As they say, sometimes you just need to sleep on it. When tempers have cooled, people make sober decisions. When they give into emotional impulse, however, they do stupid things. There are no exceptions. Everybody does so.

We want to help you, so this situation calms down and goes away. You understand perfectly well that you won’t be able to compete successfully being in such an emotional state.

Krystsina: I won the [2019] Universiade when I was in the same state.

Shumak: You weren’t.

Krystsina: I was in such a state.

Shumak: Right now, the situation is out of control.

Moisevich: That's it. It’s totally out of control, you see. [The word] has gone out. So, to calm things down, you just need to stop talking. You need to get off the radar. Otherwise, you’ll just make things worse. Things will go against you and against the national team.

I’m sorry to tell you this, many people will remember you not in kind words.
Krystsina: [indistinctively].

Moisevich: Come on.

Shumak: Kristina, let me tell you. Mr. Moisevich is 60 and I’m near 60 myself. I did stupid things also in my life. At the time, I may have thought I was right to some extent, but today I look back on these things very differently.

We can fully make sense of our actions only after enough time passes. We’re all hot-blooded when we’re young. I was the same — believe me. And I paid for it dearly. For long years I felt angry at people. Today, I’d like to say thanks to these people who were tough on me.

That’s why I understand you so well. Nobody’s going to judge you or execute you or whatever. We want to help you get out of this situation. The best medicine is time.

Moisevich: And calmness.

Shumak: Some advice from someone who sincerely wants to help you: drop this. Don’t throw more woods in the fire and it will go out. If you do, it will burn bigger and bigger. You’ll get burned, and all will get burned. You won’t be the only one.

Moisevich: It’s like a sore: You won’t let it heal, always picking at it. Just leave it. Love the illness and it will release you. And don’t be mad that you had to… These are wise things.

After all, people have been reaching these wise conclusions for thousands of years — for thousands of years. Not in ten years, not in hundred years, but for centuries, they’ve been taking notes and talking it over.

Shumak: I know you think that somebody here wishes you ill or wants revenge, or that there’s a political game unfolding here. That’s total nonsense. Remember this once and for all. Kristsina, that’s total nonsense.

If you trust anyone, I am saying to you, you will remember my words. You will remember my words.

Moisevich: I need to get going, Kristsina. I have to ask you. I have to report in. And, that makes it $350 [for] 7 days. So you have to give it back, because I have to account for that money. That was the per diem that you’re not getting.
[They count days. Krystsina interjects]

Shumak: Honestly, Kristsina, you just don’t get the seriousness of what’s happening. You’re all young and just stupid — no offense. I’m telling you straight.

And I understand perfectly what’s going through your head. You’re thinking, “You’re bamboozling me, and I’m smarter than all of you.”

[Shumak and Moisevich count days more carefully, day by day. Then Shumak leaves]

Moisevich: Kristsina, $150. Give it to me. If there is a mistake I’ll return it to you. Do you hear me? Kristsina, I’m running late.

Krystsina: You both nicely covered your own asses.

Moisevich: I have to report in. I have to return $150.

Krystsina: $150. whatever.

Moisevich: It’s not my money.
You understand, I am not afraid anymore. I'm already in my 60s. But a tin soldier will come and say, “Sir, yes, sir! Awaiting orders!”

He will purge the national team so much that there won't be anything left of us. Then you will go down in history. [They will say] it all started with Tsimanouskaya. She started this whole mess, and then they changed the leadership to put things in order. Do you get it? [pause]

So what do we do? Will you listen to me? Will you do what I’m asking for?

Krystsina [sobbing]: I think this won’t end with anything good for me.

Moisevich: And how will it end well for you if you stay [in Japan]? Tell me.

Krystsina: In any case it will end in the same way.

Moisevich: No, Kristsina. Believe me. No. Did you hear what the minister said (he told me afterward). It will be insubordination. It will be insubordination.

I’m not the only one who’s hanging in the air — so is [Belarusian National Olympic Committee] vice president [Dmitry] Dovgalenok. I’m telling you: Do you want to go down in history?

And he also wants this to go to the end [of the Olympics], but it’s no longer possible when things have developed to such an extent that it is no longer possible.

He asked me to have a heart-to-heart chat with you.

I still think that maybe the minister… But, you see, it doesn’t all depend on him anymore, unfortunately.

That's the word has gone out. As the people say, “A spoken word takes its flight.” This is folk wisdom, pieced together over the millennia.

Things will calm down. Top officials will calm down. Things will move on, God willing, there will be medals, and it will all be forgotten. If you stay here, against [their] will, understand that it will lead to nothing good.

Because it is seen today as a precedent that interferes with the team’s actions. It’s a precedent. Do you follow me?

Can’t you do this for the team’s sake? For us? By this point, going for 200m run won’t do anything for you — it does nothing for you. This isn’t the kind of situation where you can go off and prove otherwise. Things have already turned on us.

All we can do now is follow the path before us. We have obey.

Kristsina, listen to me. You’re going to step on a rake again because this really has gone very far. It’s affecting every sport now.

I’m here today, I came up here — they don’t know I’m here — and [I overheard how] the representatives of other teams discuss this. I really didn’t want to tell you. All I heard was: “I can’t believe she’s saying these things!” Do you get it?

This has gone far — it’s gone too far, way out there now. Things were tense, there were no medals, but today we were saved: a medal and then another one took off [pressure]. It offset everything. But you have to do this, Kristsina.

I’m just asking you to understand and accept this. The Orthodox [Christian] faith tells us to be humble. Humility makes a person. Humble yourself. Don't show off your pride. Your pride tells you, "No" and starts devils cycle, and then the pride starts to control you, understand?

That's how people end up in suicide, unfortunately.

Devil takes over and tells that you have to prove something to somebody, "Jump out of the window, [so] they will feel sorry about the inducement."

You know what is the most interesting part? They will tell, "She is a fool. She could live." What did you prove?

So let me go and finish this. We’ll say you’re injured and get out of this, and you’ll head home without any drama. I give you my word, Krystsina, that everything will be okay for you, do you hear me? I swear on my own children.

We’ll make up for this incident. That’s what everyone wants now, do you understand? You have to let it go. To be saved, you see, you have to drop the rest of it. Calm down and everything will be okay — I promise you.

I’m not scared for my own ass but for the team and for the entire situation here. You just have no idea — I’m not even telling you everything. You know what, it’s best if you just take a seat and leave.

It’ll all be quiet: you’ll get a ticket and tomorrow you’ll board the plane and leave. You’ll forget and be distracted for a while. You simply can’t stay any longer in a moral environment like this, you know? You just can’t stay.

You won’t prove anything to anybody, not to yourself or anyone else. You’ll just aggravate the situation.
Just leave this thing alone now. Talk it over with your husband and your family, but don’t tell them everything, either.

You’re a strong person, you know, and a person’s strength is knowing when to retreat. Do you know why we beat the French in 1812? Because there was a wise leader named Kutuzov, there was the Battle of Borodino, and it didn’t end in anything.

The two sides met, smacked each other around, and then they retreated. And what does Kutuzov do? Kutuzov says, “We must surrender Moscow.” Do you know what an uproar there was? “Are you out of your mind? Give up Moscow? To the French?”

And he says, “We have to give it up. Fall back.” And the Russian troops withdrew from Moscow. True, they burned Moscow. Can you imagine that they burned Moscow? The city was made entirely of wood, back then.

And do you know why [we] beat Napoleon? Because Napoleon came with his troops to Moscow, they pillaged, they filled their bellies, they looted all the churches, and before long it wasn’t warriors doing the plundering.

Now each man was thinking about how to get all his treasure home, but do you know what the way back was like? And later Kutuzov went down in history as the man who wisely defeated the French.

So when there’s a situation like this, it’s like in judo — you use your opponent’s own strength. He rushes at you, you step back, and he’s knocked down by his own force. This is a situation where you need to act wisely, and I’m asking you to listen to me.

You see, it was even good that you… It was good that you apologized to the minister. From today, he’ll be fighting for us. Whatever happens, he’ll say, “She’s alright — she called and apologized.” You did such a great job there!

But that was just the first step and now you need to make the second that’s being asked. They’re asking you. We’re not threatening you or ordering you. And we’re not trying to scare you; we’re just asking you to listen to us.

Dovgalenok is waiting there. His whole heart is with the athletes and with you, but he understands that nothing more can be done now. This has to happen, do you understand? You need to do the right thing.

We’ll quietly inform the organizing committee that you’ve been injured, we’ll sort it out, and you’ll leave quietly. Once you’re back… I promise you that you’ll remain in track and field.

Krystsina: I don’t believe that.

Moisevich: Kristsina, you know, the other way is even worse. Believe me, the other way is worse. Today, we need to smooth things over and remove this unpleasantness, you know?

If we don’t listen and leave it in place, then we’re left with no escape routes at all. You know what they say: With gangrene, you cut off half the leg, otherwise you lose the whole body. Yes, losing a leg is rotten, but you die if you keep it.

You’re a smart girl. You understand all this. Honestly, I feel for you. Krystsina, I feel for you more than you know. And I feel so sorry for you, too. And I know what’s going on inside your head. But believe me when I say that I’m not saving my own ass or anybody else’s.

I’m just… It’s just that I’m already in my 60s. There’s a lot that I’ve come to understand, you know? We won’t prove anything. Now that we’ve been asked to do it this way, we should obey and do as we’re told, do you understand? We need to comply and do as we’re told.

Go ahead, you can cry a little more here. I’m going to tell Dovgalenok that everything is fine, and that we’ve agreed to this decision.

Krystsina: I didn’t say that I’ve agreed.

Moisevich: Well, how much do you need to think? We’re out of time.

Krystsina: Do you think I’ll want to continue with sports if I do all this now and return home? Even if you keep me on?

Moisevich: But why not? Hold on. Well, allright. Wait, you’re going to prove yourself further? What will you prove? To whom will you prove it?

Krystsina: I’m not proving anything. I just want to run. What does it have to do with proofs?

END OF TRANSCRIPT

This translation includes section translated by Meduza and RFE/RL.