Belarusian Athletes to Win, If They Know What Is Good For

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000141

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM BO
SUBJECT: Belarusian Athletes to Win, If They Know What Is Good For
Them

Ref: 04 Minsk 1280


1. (SBU) Summary: On January 24, Belarus' chief Olympic coach
Aleksandr Popov announced the names of athletes who would attend
the Turin Olympic Games. Athletes in the past have suffered from
stress-related illnesses or left the country altogether because of
government pressure to win. Aleksei Aidarov, for example, is a
biathlon champion and bronze medallist who reportedly suffered a
nervous breakdown in January, leaving doubt as to whether he would
participate in the Turin Olympics. As many Olympians have come to
find out, failing to meet the GOB's and President's expectations
can be their biggest defeat. End Summary.

Where Is The Medallist?
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2. (U) The following anecdote typifies the pressure Belarusian
athletes face. On January 24, two weeks before the 2006 Olympics in
Turin, Belarus' chief Olympic coach Aleksandr Popov revealed the
list of Belarusian athletes who would be competing. Surprisingly,
Belarus' best biathlon athlete, 31-year-old Aleksei Aidarov, was
not on the list. Aidarov, a bronze medallist at the 1998 Nagano
Olympics, unexpectedly left his team during the January 12 Biathlon
World Cup in Italy and returned to Minsk without providing any
explanation. Minister of Sports Aleksandr Grigorov disclosed to
journalists on January 24 that Aidarov had suffered a serious
mental breakdown due to "overstrain and pressure."

Aidarov "Gently Persuaded" to Compete?
--------------


3. (U) In an interview with the independent newspaper Belorusski
Novosti on February 1, Grigorov reported that he and the chair of
the Belarusian Biathlon Federation Stepan Sukhorenko (who is also
head of the BKGB) met Aidarov shortly after his unexpected arrival
in Minsk. [Comment: A meeting that undoubtedly calmed Aidarov.]
After a 40-minute meeting, Grigorov and Sukhorenko concluded that
Aidarov should continue with his training and compete in the
Olympics. According to Grigorov, Aidarov will fly to Italy to join
his team because he had "every right" to take part in the Olympics
and was on the National Olympic Committee list. However, Grigorov
noted the level of Aidarov's participation would depend on his
health and the decision of his coach. The Sports Minister hoped
that time with his family in Minsk would help Aidarov overcome his
problems and win another medal.

GOB Pressure Intensifies
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4. (U) Although Sports Minister Grigorov claimed to consider the
act of "medal planning" unprofessional and traumatic to the
athletes, it has effectively become one of the GOB's tools to
measure Belarus', and particularly Lukashenko's, prestige at home
and abroad. However, unlike in 2004, Lukashenko has not yet
ordered his Olympic team to win a set number of medals (reftel).
First Vice President of the National Olympic Committee Gennady
Alekseyanko noted that the Olympic Games coincided with a "very
important" political campaign [presidential elections] and claimed
that the President had done a great deal to raise athletes'
abilities. According to Alekseyanko, the success of Belarusians at
the Olympics would be used as political capital for Lukashenko: "We
[Belarusians] will vote for him [Lukashenko] with our results."
According to Alekseyanko, the athletes would not have the
traditional send-off celebration because it would distract the
athletes from their training.


5. (U) The Sports Ministry predicts that the men's and women's
biathlon teams will earn medals, as well as skier Yelena Zubrilova
and free stylists Dmitri Daschinskiy, Aleksei Grishin, Alla Tsuper,
and Assol Skivets. Sergey Dolidovich would place within the top
eight in ski racing. [Note: Speed skater Angelica Kotyuga will not
participate because she failed a drug test.]

Comment
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6. (SBU) Belarusian Olympians face great pressure from the
authorities to bring home medals for national prestige and for the
ego of Belarus' ultimate sports fanatic, President Lukashenko.
Before the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, the President demanded his
athletes win 25 medals and was outraged when they brought home only

15. Julia Nesterenka, a sprinter and gold medallist in the 2004
Athens Games, fell ill from stress following the games and spent a
month in a hospital. Apparently, she was too sick to meet with
Lukashenko. Belarusian athletes are used for politically-charged
billboards and advertisements throughout Minsk and it is clear that
their Olympic glory quickly becomes Lukashenko's. Consequently,
for Belarusian athletes, it is not a wise decision to come home

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from the Olympics empty-handed. Lukashenko's comments at a January
9 hockey tournament served as a warning for Belarusian Olympians
who return without medals: "[Belarusian athletes] should feel
shamed if they don't cheer our people with excellent results. We
have done everything possible for them. That is why we are
expecting good results."

KROL