{"id":11419,"date":"2022-05-24T16:43:30","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T13:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/belarusian-sports-isolated-because-of-regimes-politics\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"belarusian-sports-isolated-because-of-regimes-politics","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11419\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarusian sports isolated because of regime\u2019s politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n <span>By Via\u010desla\u016d Koras\u0107e\u0144<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t * Reproduction prohibited\n<\/p>\n<p>\n <b>Belarusian and Russian athletes have found themselves in international isolation after Russia invaded Ukraine. A lack of competition may reflect on performance, while isolation may ease pressure on bureaucrats.<\/b>\n<\/p>\n<h2> <span>Iron curtain for long<\/span> <\/h2>\n<p>\n\t Four days after Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24, the International Olympic Committee recommended that international sports federations and sports event organizers should not invite Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t \u201cThe current war in Ukraine, however, puts the Olympic Movement in a dilemma,\u201d it said. \u201cWhile athletes from Russia and Belarus would be able to continue to participate in sports events, many athletes from Ukraine are prevented from doing so because of the attack on their country.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Most federations follow the recommendations, with some exceptions. For instance, soccer teams can play matches abroad. Tennis players are allowed to compete without representing their countries.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Belarus is separated from international sports by an iron curtain.\n<\/p>\n<h2> <span>Grim outlook<\/span> <\/h2>\n<p>\n\t A lack of competition is likely to affect individual performances, said Alaksandra Hierasimienia, ex-chair of the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF). \u201cNo international competitions. No motivation. No self-fulfillment,\u201d she told The Viewer.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Kanstancin Jaka\u016dle\u016d, former manager of the Viciaz handball club, agreed that the lack of access to international tournaments will eventually force athletes to lower the bar.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t \u201cOnce, we took our kids from the NOTC [the National Olympic Training Center] to Germany for a competition,\u201d he recalled his work as a children\u2019s coach. \u201cThe 12-16 year-old kids beat everyone in the post-Soviet countries, but were thrashed in Berlin.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t \u201cIf there are no idols, no big international wins, who will [talents] admire and whose example will they follow?\u201d Hierasimienia questioned. \u201cSport is about emotions, they may disappear.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<h2> <span>Officials are upbeat<\/span> <\/h2>\n<p>\n\t Belarusian officials are optimistic. \u201cToday we have an opportunity to take a new look at and reconsider everything to capitalize instead of losing,\u201d said Siarhiej Kaval\u010duk, Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s former security guard turned sports minister, in a recent interview published by the state-run newspaper SB. Belaru\u015b Segodnya.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t The sanctions will prompt Belarusian athletes to work harder on their weaknesses, while the country will hold more high-level competitions in all regions, he added.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t But skeptics see no cause for optimism. Belarus\u2019 national ice hockey team suffered four defeats in five games in Russia friendlies earlier this month. Russia and Belarus are not taking part in the ice hockey world championship currently under way in Finland.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Instead of competing in the World Cup, Belarusian biathletes traveled to Russia\u2019s Ufa and Tyumen in March to take part in what looked like friendly races.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t \u201cI was not excited to come to Russia to compete,\u201d said Dzinara Alimbekava, an Olympic champion, leader of the national biathlon team. \u201cBut we have obligations under employment contracts; that is why I am here.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Meanwhile, Kazakh Olympic teams have been approached by athletes from Belarus and Russia ready to change citizenship in order to participate in Olympics, said Samat Yergaliev, a senior sports official from that country.\n<\/p>\n<h2> <span>Bureaucrats may be happy<\/span> <\/h2>\n<p>\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka in late March urged sports officials to appeal restrictions on access to international events to international courts.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t But isolation may be convenient for bureaucrats. Some officials have lost jobs over athletes\u2019 poor performances at international competitions. Now they have nothing to worry about.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t \u201cThere are many security officers close to \u0141uka\u0161enka in the leadership of Belarusian sports federations. I think [isolation] makes things easier for them. Less responsibility . . . You can thrash Udmurt or Yakut region teams with a 20-point difference and tell everybody how strong you are,\u201d Jaka\u016dle\u016d said.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t \u201cIsolation gives bureaucrats the opportunity to sit and do nothing,\u201d Hierasimienia agreed. \u201cI suppose our officials are not eager and cannot manage sports properly.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t The sports minister said Belarus will boost sports ties with Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Brazil, China, India and South Africa are fully fledged members of international sports bodies and are eligible to participate in international competitions. These nations may not be interested in taking part in parallel competitions involving Belarusian and Russian athletes.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Via\u010desla\u016d Koras\u0107e\u0144 * Reproduction prohibited Belarusian and Russian athletes have found themselves in international isolation after Russia invaded Ukraine. A lack of competition may reflect on performance, while isolation may ease pressure on bureaucrats. Iron curtain for long Four days after Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24, the International Olympic Committee recommended that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-11419","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Belarusian sports isolated because of regime\u2019s politics | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Via\u010desla\u016d Koras\u0107e\u0144 * Reproduction prohibited Belarusian and Russian athletes have found themselves in international isolation after Russia invaded\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11419\/\" \/>\n<meta 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