Draped in a Ukrainian flag, Zhan Beleniuk celebrated his gold medal victory by performing the traditional Ukrainian Hopak dance. It was his country’s sole Tokyo Olympic gold medal.
But the win by the Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler holds even more significance than the medal count.
You see, Beleniuk is a gold medal winner, Afro-Ukrainian, and the first Black member of the Ukrainian Parliament.
The 30-year-old represents a country and region we tend to ignore when it comes to conversations about Black athletes.
Beleniuk’s story highlights the history of the Cold War and transnational contact between Soviet citizens and African students in the Soviet Union.
Between the 1950s and late 1980s, thousands of African students moved to the Soviet Union, including Ukraine, to pursue their degrees.
While uncommon, many African students had relationships and families with Soviet citizens. Their children are now visible representations of this unique period in Eastern European and African history.
Zhan Vensanovych Beleniuk is one of these children.
His mother is Ukrainian. His father was a Rwandan student studying in Ukraine. He returned home to fight in his country’s devastating civil war and was killed in 2001 when Beleniuk was 10.
Raised by his mother and grandmother, Beleniuk’s childhood mirrored the experiences of many Afro-Ukrainian and Afro-Russians whose African fathers died or left the former Soviet Union to return to their homelands.
Long before his Olympic victory, he showed promise in Greco-Roman wrestling. By age 10, when most children are still trying their luck at various sports, Beleniuk found his path.
He is one of Ukraine’s most decorated athletes. He won gold in Tokyo, silver at the 2016 Games in Rio, and multiple World and European championship titles.
Outside of his wrestling prowess, Beleniuk serves as a member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (Parliament). He was elected in 2019, running as a member of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “Servant of the People” party ticket.
Yet despite the accolades he earned by proudly representing his country, Beleniuk, like many other Afro-Ukrainians, has long been the target of racism.
Racism and the Afro-Ukrainian
Growing up in Kyiv, Beleniuk’s skin color led to many conflicts with classmates. Yet as an adult sports superstar and politician, Beleniuk has taken divergent positions on racism in Ukraine.
Last summer, when America was embroiled in the anti-police brutality protests after the murder of George Floyd, Beleniuk and other Black Ukrainian residents spoke to Hromadske about their experiences.
He felt racism did not affect him as he refused to let it. But he did say he was called a monkey or the n-word in media publications and on social media.
“If there is a publication about me, there will be people who will write: ‘monkey” or “ni**er’. I see such comments, but I do not take them into account, I will not be affected by this,” stated Beleniuk.
For him, racism exists in Ukraine but it’s different than what’s experienced in the U.S.
“Racism is also different. Some people are accustomed to the fact that the word “Negro” is constantly used. That is, they may unknowingly insult because they are used to black people being called “blacks,” so they continue to do so,” said Beleniuk. “When I say that it is more correct to say “black man”, they are surprised. I do not consider it racism, it is ignorance of people, they do not put any negative meaning into this word.
“But there are also people who profess a certain ideology, they have hatred for people with different skin color. There can be no tolerance for racism.”
Despite these incidents, Beleniuk remains optimistic.
“The level of racism has decreased in recent years, and I think this is due to the fact that our people have started to leave more often. Ignorance is the cause of racism.”
That ignorance played appeared when he announced his candidacy for parliament in 2019.
Vasyl Chepurny, a correspondent for the official publication of the Ukrainian parliament, posted a screed (a long speech) that called Beleniuk a “Negro” and other derogatory terms.
Many Ukrainian public figures, publications, and citizens came to Beleniuk’s defense. But Cherpurny’s attack reflects the tension within Ukrainian society toward Black Ukrainians.
In 2012, Afro-Ukrainian singer Gaitana was slated to represent Ukraine in Eurovision. But she was victimized by public displays of racism and outrage.
Some claimed she couldn’t be Ukrainian because of her skin color.
Gaitana, like Beleniuk, has a Ukrainian mother and an African father. They met while he was a student in Ukraine during the Soviet period.
Beleniuk and Gaitana represent the intersection of race, the Cold War, and contemporary culture in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
Afro-Ukrainians and Black residents continue to face racism and discrimination in their own country while pushing for Ukrainian participation in the European Union and NATO. Beleniuk discussed being called a “black money” when he returned home after the Tokyo Olympics.
Beleniuk is the country’s first wrestling gold medal winner since 1996. He’s also a 2x World Champion and 3x European Champion.
But to some, he’s still a “black monkey”.
Black athletes in Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, have been the targets of racism on and off the field.
In July, Black players on the English national soccer team were targets of racist vitriol after losing in the Euro Cup Final. Black soccer players in Italy and in Eastern Europe have suffered similar racist abuse from fans.
In the U.S., African American athletes face public backlash and racism over their fight for social justice, equality, and mental health.
This showcases the strength and integrity of athletes like Zhan Beleniuk.
They are able to represent their country and support equal rights and anti-racist movements even while some back home regards them as second-class citizens.
