Ukraine’s first black member of parliament on why he returned to wrestling, and preparing for Paris amid war
It is not something that Zhan Beleniuk, an Olympian and Ukraine’s first black member of parliament, says he can afford to think about now. It is evidently at the back of his mind. He has ideas on what his fellow athletes might do, and even what they should do: it might be best not to compete at all if defeat is on the cards.
But for Beleniuk, 33, the sole Ukrainian winner of a gold at the last Olympics, in Tokyo, the prospect of facing a Russian competitor at the Paris Games in his discipline of greco-roman wrestling has to be a matter for that moment, and not for now.
Written by Daniel Boffey, chief reporter
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/20/zhan-beleniuk-i-will-fight-russians-at-the-olympics-but-will-i-shake-hands-no under the title “Zhan Beleniuk: ‘I will fight Russians at the Olympics but will I shake hands? No’”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
