Zhan Beleniuk at the 2015 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Zhan Beleniuk, Greco-Roman silver medalist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, said he had been prohibited from going to Russia for the 2018 European Wrestling Championship which starts next week, the Russian news agency TASS reported Saturday.
The 85 kilogram/187-pound Beleniuk revealed his situation on his Instagram account.
"I would rather not go into details, but want to say that we fought until the very end for the right to go," Beleniuk said.
"Everything will change in the future, including the political environment, just like it was many times before, however, no one will be able to give back athletes their youth and chances for high achievements, while they are young and strong," the 27-year-old wrestler added.
Beleniuk has wrestled at the European Championship in the past, earning gold in 2014 and 2016, as well as the bronze medal at the 2012 European Championship in Belgrade. In addition, Beleniuk was a gold medalist at the 2015 World Championships, and received bronze at the Worlds the year before.
In mid-March, Ukrainian Sports Minister Igor Zhdanov issued an official directive banning national athletes from participating in all sports competitions held on the territory of Russia. A document signed by Ukrainian Sport Minister Zhdanov on March 14 stated that athletes of Ukrainian national sports teams had been banned not only from participating in Russia-hosted competitions, but travelling to Russia for training camps as well.
At the time of that announcement, Nenad lalovic, President of United World Wrestling (UWW), said Ukraine's possible boycott of the 2018 European Wrestling Championship in Russia would split the wrestling family and such decisions were inadmissible.
This month, the Ukrainian Sports Ministry stated that it withdrew the direct order for national athletes to stay away from all international competitions hosted by Russia. In fact, on April 17, the press service of the Ukrainian Wrestling Association stated that the national freestyle wrestling team planned to take part in the European Wrestling Championship this year in Russia.
The issue of whether Ukraine would send wrestlers to the European Championship in Russia has a political dimension going back at least a handful of years, made worse when Russia launched an invasion of neighboring Ukraine in August 2014.
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