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Ukrainian world boxing champion Usyk detained at Krakow airport
18.09.2024 11:09
Updated: 27.09.2024 21:06
The famous Ukrainian boxer and world champion Alexander Usik was detained at the Krakow airport.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, September 17. The reason for the detention was that the athlete was allegedly unfit for flight.
This was reported by MIA "Russia Today", noting that the event was previously reported by Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Zhan Beleniuk.
He also published a video showing law enforcement officers escorting a handcuffed Usyk.
Later, the boxer's wife, Ekaterina Usik, reported that her husband had been released. And he himself explained the incident on social media as a "misunderstanding."
MFA
According to media reports, the athlete was released after the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and Volodymyr Zelensky personally intervened in the situation.
By the way, the latter notified about this in his Telegram channel. There he also stated that his fellow countryman had been released.
The spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Georgiy Tykhyi, stated that Kyiv “categorically does not accept the attitude towards its citizen and champion demonstrated in the video.”
He added: on the instructions of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiga, the Consul General of Ukraine in Krakow urgently went to the airport to clarify the circumstances of the incident.
The minister instructed the consul general to “express protest and indignation at such an attitude.”
Sibiga also addressed his Polish counterpart, demanding that “this situation be resolved immediately.”
Zelensky
As for Zelensky, he said he spoke on the phone with Usyk when he was detained.
I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion, the head of state noted.
He instructed the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to immediately deal with the situation.
Zelensky also reported that a little later he was informed that Usyk had been released.
Why was he detained?
The media reports that the boxer was detained while attempting to board a plane flying from Krakow to Valencia, Spain, where he was supposed to begin training for a fight with Briton Tyson Fury.
Usyk and his coach Sergei Lapin were denied boarding after an airline representative determined that the men were "not fit to fly."
The Ukrainian athlete tried to explain his condition by exhaustion after an almost 14-hour journey from Kyiv.
Recall that on May 19, Usyk defeated Fury in a fight for the title of absolute world boxing champion in the heavyweight category. The rematch is scheduled for December 21.
It is worth noting that the 37-year-old Ukrainian, the absolute world champion, has never lost in his professional career (22 wins).
