Zhan Beleniuk has represented Ukraine on the Olympic stage and in Parliament, but another part of his identity traces back to Rwanda. The Ukrainian Olympic champion and lawmaker, who was born to a Ukrainian mother and a Rwandan father, recently came to Rwanda for a two-day visit with a delegation of other Ukrainian lawmakers seeking to strengthen ties between the two countries. During his visit, he spoke to The New Times’ The Context Podcast about his connection to Rwanda, which he said goes beyond his role as a Ukrainian MP, describing the country as his “second motherland”. ALSO READ: Zhan Beleniuk, a Ukraine Olympic medalist with Rwandan blood “I am a product of love between Ukrainian woman and Rwandan man who studied that time in Kyiv, who was a pilot,” he said. Born in 1991, Beleniuk said he grew up in Ukraine but has maintained a strong interest in his Rwandan roots. “I have more relatives here than in Ukraine because I have a lot of uncles and aunts here. Even my grandma is still alive. She is 82 years old.” “For me, it's a big special visit, not just because I'm a Ukrainian MP, because it's my second motherland,” he said. Beleniuk also leads the Ukrainian Parliament’s friendship group with Rwanda. He said he sees his position as an opportunity to build on his personal connection to Rwanda while strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. “In this position, I can be like this bridge between our countries.” Reconnecting with his Rwandan family Beleniuk said his interest in discovering his Rwandan family grew as he got older, particularly because he was raised mainly by his mother and grandmother in Ukraine. He first visited Rwanda in 2017, after winning a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In his words, his dream had finally come true, and he had the resources and money to buy a ticket to Rwanda. He said some in his Rwandan family eventually established contact with him through people who knew his friends in Ukraine. “I was very interested in my roots and I wanted to recognise who we are, because I knew just my mom and my grandma there in Ukraine. But I recognised that I have a family [in Rwanda] and I have some relatives there, and I dreamt about this opportunity to recognise and to meet with them. “I identified [as being] 50 percent [Rwandan] because... I was very interested in my roots,” he said. He added that his Rwandan heritage also gave him a stronger connection to the country during his sporting career. Using sport to build ties Beleniuk, who retired from wrestling after the 2024 Paris Olympics, said sports could be one of the areas through which Rwanda and Ukraine could strengthen cooperation. He said Rwanda has potential in several sports disciplines and that Ukrainian coaches, managers and athletes could share experience with their Rwandan counterparts. “When I came to Rwanda with this silver medal, I met with the presidents of the sports [federations], and they told me that Rwanda has Olympians who represent Rwanda, but without any medals.” “That's why we need to develop a relationship in this case, the support, Rwandan support, to maybe exchange our athletes to some training camps, to some education, different meetings and different camps,” he added. Beleniuk noted Rwanda's strengths in basketball and athletics, while also pointing to the country's traditional wrestling culture. However, he acknowledged that specific plans for cooperation in sports are not yet in place. “It's still a vision,” Beleniuk said, adding that he wanted to engage Rwanda's Ministry of Sports to identify areas where cooperation could have the greatest impact. Wider areas of cooperation Beyond sports, Beleniuk said the two countries could work together in other sectors “We are [an] agriculture country with a lot of opportunities in this sectors. And that's why I think we can be useful in different ways for Rwanda: in education sphere, or the sphere of food security, agriculture, and culture.” From Olympic champion to lawmaker Beleniuk was elected to Ukraine's Parliament in 2019 while still competing at the highest level of international wrestling. He said balancing his parliamentary responsibilities with his sporting career required discipline and a strong support team. Beleniuk eventually achieved his biggest sporting ambition when he won Olympic gold in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021. He said winning the gold medal was particularly significant because he had suffered a serious shoulder injury just 20 days before his competition. “So, you know, it was God's blessing to achieve this medal, and I think it was my mission,” he said. A message to young Rwandans Beleniuk urged young Rwandans pursuing careers in sport and other fields to believe in themselves. “Somebody who wants, who really wants [something], they find opportunities and those who don't want, they find some problems.” “You should be smart. You should recognise what you need to do. You should have your team around you, with people who truly believe in your success.” Beleniuk said his own career was built gradually rather than through instant success. “It's not a story about a very talented guy who just came and the next day showed great results. It was step by step, with believing, with a team, and with a lot of work,” he said.
