Nick James acts for Belarus Athletics Head Coach charged by World Athletics

Nick represented the head of the Belarus Athletics Team who was charged with violations of the World Athletics Integrity Code of Conduct in what World Athletics described as the most serious non-doping case it had ever brought.  The allegations related to the Tokyo Olympics 2020 (2021) where a female Belarussian athlete was withdrawn from the games and sent home ostensibly due to her mental health.  However, it was alleged that this was a sham and that she had been sent home as a punishment for criticising the coaching team on social media.   This had come to the attention of the Belarus government and caused the Sports Minister to speak to both the coach and the athlete.  On the way home the athlete sought assistance from the Police at Narita Airport and was taken to Poland where she was granted a humanitarian visa.  The case received significant international media attention at the time and the IOC stripped the head coach and another Belarus coach of their accreditation.   The coach was charged with violations of the requirements to act with honesty, to preserve dignity and to protect the reputation of World Athletics.    World Athletics sought an 8-year ban.  Following a fully contested hearing the first two charges were proved and a ban of 5 years imposed. 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/aug/06/ioc-strips-two-belarus-olympics-coaches-of-accreditation-over-krystsina-tsimanouskaya-scandal

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9867119/Two-Belarus-coaches-stripped-accreditation-sent-home-Games.html

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