Andrei Krauchanka, an incredibly talented Belarusian decathlete, needs your help to fight against the odds. Not only the odds that emanate from several personal injuries, but the odds from a corrupt system that refuses to support him and punished him for being one of the first Belarus athletes to voice his views against government violence and rigged elections. Andrei is a 2008 Beijing Olympic medalist, a two-time World Championship silver medalist, the European champion in decathlon and heptathlon, and has been earned the “Honored Master of Sports” in the Republic of Belarus. But all those titles mean nothing when you go against the system and stand for peace and freedom…. In retaliation for his active social position, Andrei was detained (along with Ivan Ganin, one of the world’s top kickboxers/MaiTai athletes) and spent 10 days in jail for trumped-up charges.
Andrei holds many titles, but his career has never been a smooth ride. For surgeries and recoveries from every injury Andrei has had, he basically had to pay out of his own pocket. From injuring his Achilles tendon right before the London Olympics in 2012 to tearing his calf in the middle of 1500 meters run (and still finishing the race by essentially hopping on one leg and winning the first place overall) during the European championship, Andrei has continuously shown his dedication and true heroism in athletics. Now he is showing it through something even bigger.
Andrei was one of the first athletes to sign the Open Letter, written by the sports community, for the Belarusian authorities demanding to stop violence in the country and hold the election process to fair international standards. After doing this, he was immediately dismissed from the national athletics team. Despite threats and pressure from the authorities, Andrei did not withdraw his signature from the Open Letter and became an active supporter of the civil rights movement for the Belarusian people. Andrei then decided to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to honorably represent the Belarusian people and symbolize justice, peace and freedom for the country.
Now we need your help to support Andrei Krauchanka in his bid for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Despite Andrei unprecedented dedication to his country and decathlon, the bureaucracy abandoned the “broken hero” for courageously refusing to heed to the corrupt and brutal system. Andrei’s determination coupled with unbending spirit deserves our backing, as he not only honors athletics but also symbolizes freedom for Belarusians and other people in their peaceful protests against a broken system.