Yelena Leuchanka
FILE In this file pool photo taken on Saturday, April 4, 2020, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko takes part in a hockey match during Republican amateur competitions in Minsk, Belarus. A feud between Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya and team officials that prompted her to seek refuge in Poland has again cast a spotlight on the repressive environment in the ex-Soviet nation, where authorities have unleashed a relentless crackdown on dissent. (Andrei Pokumeiko/BelTA Pool Photo via AP, File)
EXPLAINER: What is behind Belarus athlete's Olympics crisis?

By Yuras Karmanau And Vladimir Isachenkov Aug. 04, 2021 03:47 AM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2016, file photo, Belarus guard Lindsey Harding (12) controls the rebound next to teammate Yelena Leuchanka, center, and Australia center Liz Cambage, rear, during the second half of a women's basketball game at the Youth Center at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has been a difficult last few months for former Belarus star basketball player Leuchanka. She spent 15 days in jail in October after peacefully protesting against President Alexander Lukashenko's disputed re-election and then contracted the coronavirus earlier this month while she has been in Greece. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
Ex-WNBA player reflects on jail time after Belarus protest

By Doug Feinberg Nov. 24, 2020 03:03 AM EST