BOXING CHAMP CHAGAEV TO MARRY GULNORA KARIMOVA?

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000117

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINR SCUL UZ
SUBJECT: BOXING CHAMP CHAGAEV TO MARRY GULNORA KARIMOVA?

Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Summary: On January 23, the Newsuz.com website
reported that Uzbek boxing champ Ruslan Chagaev has been
linked romantically with the President's daughter, Gulnora
Karimova. However, the Uzmetronom website reported on
January 28 that Chagaev planned to immigrate to Germany and
made no mention of a relationship with Karimova. Separately,
the daughter of Gulnora's sister Lola has reportedly
developed a serious bone disease and is seeking treatment in
Europe. It is impossible for us to verify any of these
rumors, but it is interesting to note that Chagaev's
popularity among the Uzbek elite has dimmed considerably in
recent months, possibly due to either his alleged ties to
Gulnora Karimova or his supposed plans to emigrate from
Uzbekistan. End summary.


2. (C) On January 23, the Newsuz.com website reported that
Uzbek boxing champ Ruslan Chagaev, who won the World Boxing
Association (WBA) heavyweight title in April 2007, has been
linked romantically with Gulnora Karimova, President
Karimov's elder daughter. It further speculated that Chagaev
was in the process of divorcing his wife and would soon marry
Karimova. Poloff was told the same information in November
by a well-connected contact, former Uch-Tepe district deputy
Hokim (mayor) Adolat Nasirova. In November, a contact of
political FSN also reported seeing Chagaev in court engaging
in divorce proceedings.

BACKLASH BREWING AGAINST CHAGAEV?
--------------


3. (C) The January 23 Newsuz.com article reported that
Chagaev's affair with Karimova has resulted in a backlash
among "upper-level" officials, who then ordered
state-controlled media outlets not to cover Chagaev's
successful January 19 title defense in Germany. Public
affairs FSNs confirmed that Chagaev's successful defense of
his title was scarcely covered in the state-controlled Uzbek
media (though the match was aired on Russian TV),starkly
contrasting with the hero's welcome given to Chagaev in April
2007 after he won the WBA heavyweight title. After returning
home from that bout, Chagaev was met at the airport by
President Karimov himself and his face was plastered on
billboards across Tashkent for weeks.

...OR DOES CHAGAEV PLAN TO IMMIGRATE TO GERMANY?
-------------- --


4. (U) On January 28, the independent Uzmetronom website,
citing unspecified sources, reported that Chagaev is planning
to immigrate to Germany with his family and may possibly give
up his Uzbek citizenship. The article notes that Chagaev
would join other famous Uzbek sportsmen in exile, including
gymnast Oksana Chusovitino and world-champion chess player
Rustam Kasimzhanov. It also made no mention of Chagaev's
alleged relationship with Karimova or any plans to divorce
his wife.

LOLA KARIMOVA'S DAUGHTER REPORTEDLY DEVELOPS BONE DISEASE
-------------- --------------


5. (C) A local Embassy employee, whose daughter used to be
in the same class in school as the daughter of Lola Karimova
(Gulnora Karimova's younger sister),told poloff that Lola's
daughter was diagnosed with a serious bone disorder and is no
longer attending the school. The local Embassy employee was
told by the class teacher that Lola's daughter developed an
unspecified disease by which her bones were growing faster
than the rest of her body and that she was being treated by
doctors in Germany.

6. (C) On January 10, Uzmetronom reported that Lola Karimova
accepted a position with the United Nations Education,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters
in Paris. The head of the UNESCO delegation in Tashkent
confirmed the story to poloff on January 27. In August,
poloff was also told by Free Farmers Party Leader Nigara
Khidoyatova (who often passes on rumors about the ruling
family) that Lola was spending a lot of time in Paris with
her common-law husband Timur and her daughter. (Comment: If
the information about her daughter is correct, then it is
possible that Lola Karimova has moved to Europe while her
daughter is being treated. It is also possible that the
daughter is actually being treated in France, rather than
Germany, as alleged by the teacher. End Comment.)

COMMENT
--------------


7. (C) It is impossible to confirm any of these rumors. The
lack of press coverage for Chagaev's recent successful title
bout in Germany appears to indicate that his once rising star
has dimmed considerably in recent months, possibly due to an
association with Karimova, who is unpopular in Tashkent and
widely viewed as a rapacious businesswoman. Although she
presumably enjoys the support of her father, observers
believe that through her unscrupulous business dealings, she
has made many powerful enemies, including National Security
Service Chairman Rustam Inoyatov and reputed mob boss Gafur
Rakhimov (from whom she allegedly wrested away one of her
companies, the Zeromax corporation). Another possibility is
that GOU officials became aware of Chagaev's alleged plans to
move to Germany, and therefore limited media coverage of his
most recent bout, knowing that the departure of another
famous sportsman would be a grave embarrassment for
Uzbekistan's elites.
NORLAND