2 Men’s Search for Safety

WASHINGTON — 

Two men originally from China are among the 1 million refugees fleeing Ukraine into neighboring countries this week after Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24.

VOA chronicled the journeys of Ibrahim Abliz, a Uyghur, and Ersin Erkinuly, a Kazakh.

Abliz and Erkinuly were among thousands of Uyghurs and Kazakhs who fled China because of its “anti-terrorism” policy in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where rights groups and some Western countries accuse China of crimes against humanity and arbitrarily detaining more than 1 million people in internment camps in recent years.

Beijing denies the mistreatment as lies and fabrication and says China’s policy in Xinjiang is about fighting extremism and that the facilities are vocational training centers.

Abliz and Erkinuly each found his way to Ukraine and had lived there for several years until everything changed on the day Russian troops entered Ukraine.

Ibrahim Abliz’s story

Abliz, a 31-year-old father, has lived with his toddler son in Ukraine since 2018, with the hope of reuniting with his wife, who has been living in Germany.

Abliz is no stranger to a nomadic life. He said he left China in 2013 and ever since had been looking for a safe place to live, away from China’s reach.

“I first spent almost one and half years in Pakistan and later safely arrived in Turkey where I studied and worked,” Abliz told VOA.

In 2016, he met and married a Uyghur woman living in Turkey who was also originally from China.

Two years later, Abliz lost hope of getting Turkish citizenship. He decided to leave Turkey for Europe in pursuit of a safer country where he could raise his family.

Many Uyghurs in Turkey live in constant fear of being sent back to China. In recent months, Turkey has rejected some Uyghur applications for citizenship citing “national security” and “public order.” Uyghurs see this as an attempt by China to persecute them outside its borders.

“In November 2018, my pregnant wife was able to fly to Germany from Ukraine and seek asylum,” Abliz said.

His 11-month-old son was not allowed to leave Ukraine because the boy had a Turkish ID. Abliz had no choice but to stay behind with his child.

“I had to be with my son in Ukraine and find a way to reunite with my wife,” Abliz said.

After Ukraine denied applications for refugee status for Abliz and his son, he tried to cross the border three times before the war broke out.

“I had to run away from Ukraine after my application was denied,” Abliz said. “But each time we were handed over to Ukraine from neighboring countries like Poland and Slovakia.”

Abliz said over the past three years he and his son have spent four months in detention in a Ukraine facility and two months in a refugee camp because of crossing borders to other countries without permits.

“In November 2021, my application for refugee status was approved thanks to Ukrainian authorities,” Abliz said.

On March 1, Abliz and his son were able to cross the border to Poland. They were reunited with his wife and other son, now 3 years old, who came from Germany to meet them.

“I am so happy that my son and I have met my wife and my second son I had never seen in person,” Abliz said.

Abliz said he is applying for entry into Germany because he is eligible to get a family reunification visa.

Ersin Erkinuly’s story

Erkinuly, a 25-year-old Kazakh refugee from China, arrived in Ukraine from Turkey in 2020. He too applied for refugee status but did not get it.

Ersin Erkinuly, a Kazakh refugee. (Courtesy of Ersin Erkinuly)

“I fled China to Kazakhstan in late 2019 after I had witnessed some people around me disappeared into internment camps,” Erkinuly told VOA.

But in Kazakhstan, according to Erkinuly, he didn’t feel safe and worried about possible deportation to China.

“Kazakhstan has very close relation with China, and I felt insecure and decided to leave for Turkey,” Erkinuly said.

Erkinuly was still not able to secure refugee status in Turkey, so he decided to go to Europe.

“I came to Ukraine and lost my passport and faced deportation to China,” Erkinuly told VOA. “I pleaded on the social media, and after Ukraine got pressured by democratic countries like the U.S. government, the authorities didn’t (deport) me.”

When the fighting started, Erkinuly left Kyiv and traveled for days. He reached the Polish border and was able to cross on March 3.

“I now feel that I am free,” Erkinuly told VOA from Poland. “They gave me a document which states I am allowed to remain in Poland until May.”

What happens after May is still uncertain. Erkinuly said he’s reached out to human rights group and the U.S. for help, as his search for a permanent safe haven continues.

US, Canada Both Out of Men's Hockey

BEIJING — 

The latest on the Beijing Winter Olympics:

The United States is out of the men’s hockey tournament at the Olympics in stunning fashion after blowing a late lead.

Slovakia beat the U.S. 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday to knock the top-seeded Americans out in the quarterfinals. Canada exited hours after the U.S. with a 2-0 loss to Sweden.

It’s the first Olympic semifinals without the U.S. and Canada since 2006.

The U.S. led for almost half the game before the tying goal when Slovakia pulled its goaltender for an extra attacker to play 6-on-5. Slovakia forward Juraj Slafkovsky scored his tournament-leading fifth goal of the tournament.

The Russians and Finland also moved on to the semifinals.

FIGURE SKATING

The Associated Press has learned IOC president Thomas Bach offered U.S. figure skaters Olympic torches as holdover gifts while they await a resolution of the Russian doping case that is preventing them from receiving their silver medals.

Two people familiar with the events told AP late Wednesday that Bach, in a private meeting with the skaters in Beijing, reiterated the IOC stance that no medals ceremonies would be held for events involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva. The people did not want their names used because the meeting was confidential.

Officials from the International Olympic Committee did not immediately respond to an email query from AP.

Men’s champion Nathan Chen and the U.S. finished runner-up to Russia in the team event last week, but the outcome was quickly thrown into chaos when reports surfaced that Valieva had used a banned medication.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Valieva was still eligible to compete in this week’s women’s event while her case wound through the anti-doping system. That case will ultimately determine the status of the medals. Valieva led the women’s contest after the short program.

CURLING

The U.S. women’s curling team is out of the Olympics. The men have one more chance to advance to the playoffs at the Beijing Games.

Tabitha Peterson’s foursome lost 10-7 to Japan on Wednesday night in its round-robin finale. That dropped the Americans to 4-5 at the Winter Games.

Switzerland (7-1) had already qualified, and reigning gold medalist Sweden (6-2) joined them with an 8-5 victory over Russia. There are five teams fighting for the remaining two spots: 2018 bronze medalist Japan (5-3) and ’18 silver medalist South Korea (4-4) along with Canada (4-4), Britain (4-4) and China (4-5).

The U.S. men will have a chance to repeat as gold medalists — as long as they beat Denmark in the final round-robin session on Thursday morning.

After eight of nine matches played, the Americans are 4-4 and in fourth place in the race for the four spots in the Beijing Olympics semifinals. Britain and Sweden are already in at 7-1, and Canada also clinched a berth with an 8-6 victory over Russia on Wednesday.

John Shuster’s foursome would reach the playoffs with a victory over last-place Denmark. They could also advance if they lose, but they would need help.

NORDIC SKIING

The International Testing Agency says cross-country skier Valnetyna Kaminska has tested positive for doping with a steroid and a banned stimulant.

Valentyna Kaminska already competed in all her three events at the Beijing Olympics and did not come close to the medals.

The 34-year-old athlete is competing for Ukraine now after representing Belarus at the Winter Games in 2014 and 2018.

The ITA says Kaminska’s sample taken last Thursday tested positive for mesterolone and heptaminol.

She’s now provisionally suspended from all competitions pending a prosecution of her doping case.

It’s the second doping sample taken at the Beijing Olympics to test positive. The first involved Alpine skier Hossein Saveh Shemshaki of Iran. The contentious case of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva involves a test taken before the Olympics.

ICE HOCKEY

Susanna Tapani scored her team-leading sixth goal, Anni Keisala stopped 15 shots and Finland claimed its fourth Olympic women’s hockey bronze medal with a 4-0 win over Switzerland.

Wednesday night’s victory earned Finland a bronze medal in consecutive Olympics.

Viivi Vainikka and Nelli Laitinen also scored in a rematch of last year’s world championship bronze medal game, which Finland won 3-1. The Finns bounced back from a 3-2 loss to the Swiss in the preliminary round.

Switzerland’s Andrea Braendli stopped 34 of the first 35 she faced, and 43 overall in a game the Finns pulled away by scoring three times in the third period. The Swiss fell short in an attempt to match their best finish at the 2014 Sochi Games, when they beat Sweden to win the bronze medal.

Vainikka opened the scoring 11:38 into the first period by driving to the front of the net and slipping in a loose puck after Braendli stopped a shot from Noora Tulus. Tapani scored on a shorthanded 2-on-1 break 3:24 into the third period. Laitinen and Karvinen sealed the win with power-play goals in the final 5:36.

Keisala finished the tournament stopping 173 of 189 shots, while appearing in all seven games. Her best save against Switzerland came midway through the second period, when she got her glove up to stop Lena Marie Lutz’s shot on a breakaway.

On Thursday, the defending Olympic champion United States and Canada meet in the gold-medal game for the sixth time in seven tournaments.

SPEEDSKATING

Choi Minjeong of South Korea has successfully defended her Olympic title in 1,500-meter short track speedskating.

She won in 2 minutes, 17.789 seconds, extending the tradition of an Asian woman winning the event.

Arianna Fontana of Italy took silver by two-thousandths of a second over Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands.

It was Fontana’s 11th career Olympic medal and third in Beijing. The most decorated short track skater in history also won the 500 and took silver in the mixed team relay.

Schulting earned her fourth medal in Beijing. She finished second in the 500, won the 1,000 and won the 3,000 relay.

Canada has won the 5,000-meter relay in short track speedskating.

The team of Charles Hamelin, Steven Dubois, Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Pascal Dion skated cleanly Wednesday night to take their nation’s eighth gold medal in the 45-lap race with a time of 6 minutes, 41.257 seconds.

At age 37, Hamelin broke his own record as the oldest male short track skater to win an Olympic medal. It was his sixth career medal, making him Canada’s most decorated male Olympian.

South Korea earned silver. Italy claimed bronze.

Dubois won his third medal in Beijing. He finished second in the 1,500 and third in the 500.

China crashed later in the race, much to the dismay of the fans at Capital Indoor Stadium, who waved the host country’s flag.

Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands has advanced to the final of 1,500-meter short track speedskating.

She won her semifinal in a bid to earn her fourth Olympic medal in Beijing. No non-Asian woman has ever won this event.

Defending Olympic champion Choi Minjeong of South Korea rallied from sixth using a big move on the outside to take the lead with two laps remaining in her semifinal. She set an Olympic record of 2 minutes, 16.831 seconds.

Also making the A final are Arianna Fontana of Italy, Lee Yubin of South Korea, Hanne Desmet of Belgium, Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands and Han Yutong of China.

The B final includes such big names as Kim Boutin and Courtney Sarault of Canada and Kim A Lang of South Korea. American Kristen Santos was advanced when another skater was penalized.

U.S. skaters Corinne Stoddard and Julie Letai were eliminated.

BIATHLON

Elvira Oeberg anchored the Swedish team to Olympic gold in the four-person biathlon relay, skiing fast and shooting clean to win her third medal of the Beijing Games.

Oeberg, who also won silver in the sprint and pursuit races in her Olympic debut, put the Swedes across the line in 1 hour, 11 minutes, 3.9 seconds.

Russian biathlete Uliana Nigmatullina trailed Oeberg by about 24 seconds after the final shooting range and ended up finishing 12 seconds behind for silver. Denise Herrmann finished third to give Germany bronze, 37.4 seconds behind Oeberg. Herrmann also won gold in the individual race.

Germany, Sweden and Italy went out front early in the 4×6-kilometer race and the teams shuffled positions several times, but the Swedes had the most consistent shooting.

Norway finished fourth, 50.7 seconds behind.

High Winds Delay Men's Downhill Skiing

YANQING, CHINA — 

The marquee event of the men’s Alpine Olympic program at the Beijing Winter Games was postponed Sunday after high winds forced two hours of delays before organizers canceled it for the day.

Organizers were due to meet later Sunday to discuss when to fit the race into the program, with Monday the most likely option.

“Due to the present weather situation with the wind gust and the updated forecast — the jury together with the organizer have decided in the best interest of safety and fairness for the racers to delay today’s men’s Olympic downhill to another day,” organizers said in a statement.

Monday’s scheduled event is the women’s giant slalom, which will be held on the technical course adjacent to ‘The Rock’ speed course.

Similar wind in the upper and middle areas of the course had led to the cancellation of Saturday’s third training session after just three skiers had completed their run.

While no fans were able to attend the race, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach had arrived at the course, which is made from artificial snow, to watch the event.

Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the favorite in the event, backed the decision but said skiers might have to cope with some degree of wind.

“We will see, we just have to be patient and make sure that we make the right decisions,” said the World Cup downhill leader.

“If we talk about our safety then we can’t do much about it. But if it is only just a little bit, so it is safe to ski, then we might just have to race with wind and take what we get.

“It is an outside sport, and we know about the wind and the things that can happen,” added Kilde, who hopes there will be less waiting around if a similar situation emerges.

“It is just a lot of lack of energy when you have to prepare for such a long day and then suddenly at 2 p.m. they have to make a decision. Let’s see if they can make a decision earlier in the future and hope for the best.”

French veteran Johan Clarey backed the decision. “I think the conditions were not safe for everyone, so security first,” said the 41-year-old.