Olympic Champion Aleh Lohvin: Belarusian People Will Win

The legend of the Belarusian and Soviet sports is a frequenter of protest actions.

Aleh Lohvin is a top Belarusian cyclist. He took the Olympic golden medal and the medals of the world championships. Now the Honored Master of Sports of the USSR is a frequenter of the protests that have been taking place in Minsk after the presidential election. During one of them, Tribuna journalist Aliaksnadr Ivulin met with the 61-year-old champion in Independence Square to discuss the current situation in the country, writes tribuna.com.

- Mr. Lohvin, why do you go to protest actions?

- Today I am in solidarity with my people. Now we are standing near the Red Catholic Church, and the bell is ringing. This bell is a sign of grief for the people who have suffered from the arbitrariness of the authorities. I grieve and express my condolences to those whose loved ones have suffered and died. We see that a real genocide is taking place in our country! It will never be justified.

Now the current government is at war with the youngest representatives of their country. The government is fighting against their future. I am sure that if a country leads a war against its future, it will never have a future. Today I support people who take to the streets. I have lived in Belarus for a long time and have always considered myself a very happy person. But now I want to cry from what our people have suffered these days. However, when I saw the solidarity of Belarusians in such a difficult time, I probably became even happier.

Today I will not talk about who voted for whom. Now we need to shout about what happened. The whole world saw it. I have many friends who live abroad, and they are just terrified of the latest events. The saddest thing is that the state media hide the real truth from us or, even worse, distort it. I want all those who show what is happening in the country one-sidedly, one day wake up with a conscience.

I come to peaceful protests with my family. And after that, some people have the audacity to declare that someone comes here for money. It is not true. This is simply shameless in relation to Belarusians. This is low and despicable. I have a wife, two beautiful daughters, a grandson ... Together with them we go to these events with an open heart, and not for the sake of money. I am a patriot of this country. I have lived here for 61 years, and tried to make sure that Belarus was recognized in the world only from the best side.

- What struck you at the protests?

- I saw that there are no puppeteers here. Believe me, if they were, then our valiant special forces would immediately figure them out. People come to the demonstrations with smiles on their faces. Here I saw Belarusians from different strata of the population. Therefore, I just do not understand how one can speak about the citizens of their country, at least impolitely. These people are simply humiliated from TV screens.

- Some TV employees are quitting in protest.

- These are the actions of normal people who act according to their conscience. They have chosen not only their future, but also the future of their children and grandchildren. You know, until the last days I was not registered on Telegram, but now I have become a comprehensively developed, albeit already middle-aged man. I'm tired of watching what is shown on state television. I was forced to go where they talk about living people and show their problems. I live in this country and see where they tell the truth and where they blatantly lie. So today I have chosen Instagram and Telegram. Now our country is in a very difficult situation, but I still believe that reason and honesty will prevail here. And nothing else, it's just a matter of time.

- After reading the stories of people who were in the Akrestsin Street detention center, I could not sleep. What reaction did you get from seeing the photos and videos from there?

- After the election, I have had very little sleep. I am depressed. I have the feeling that I lost a person who was very close and dear to me. One can feel a state of mourning, because such mockery of compatriots cannot pass without a trace. I think every person in our country has the same attitude now.

- Are you surprised that not a single criminal case has yet been initiated against the security forces?

- The authorities “helped” themselves when they gave out awards to the security officials. This is a direct list of those responsible for torturing a huge number of Belarusians. Such actions do not evoke any emotions. Only sadness.

-At the same time, Belarusians show unprecedented solidarity.

- My family members helped the victims. The daughter got together with her friends, bought food and brought it to the people. Unfortunately, these people today can only drink, not chew. Many have their teeth knocked out. Many people are in a coma or semi-coma. Some just can't move! I was very pleased that we were not alone near this health care institution. There were many people there. I am proud of my children for such patriotism and human attitude.

- Did you go to Akrestsin Street?

- I was not there. But my friends were on Akrestsin Street and told just terrible stories. These atrocities cannot be explained.

- Can you explain the “Polish flags in Hrodna”?

-Someone just needs to look into history books and find out which flag is historical here. Someone is trying to prove that the white-red-white flag is nearly a fascist banner. On the contrary, this is our deep history! Therefore, before you say anything, you need to thoroughly study the issue.

- How do your foreign friends react to what is happening in Belarus?

- There are enough respected people among my friends. There is even a hero of Russia. But each of them reacts to the news from Belarus with only one word. This word is horror. I have not heard any other comments. For example, today two-time Olympic champion Umaras Gintautas called me: “Aleh, if you need something, we are ready to help”. I think that I should stay in Belarus now. I am proud of my people, not only I should live here, but also my children.

- How do you feel about the strikes that are now happening throughout the country?

- This is a peaceful way to defend our position, but we never used it. Today people have the right to go on strike. And it had to go through the union, but in our country it is simply tame. A strike is a worldwide practice. I don't see anything criminal in it. Now people want to be reckoned with.

- But for this they are threatened with at least dismissals.

- The great Belarusian people survived the Second World War. Tell me why these people should be afraid of layoffs? We need to respect ourselves and defend our ideals. Dear comrades, we must think not only about ourselves, but also about our future. Our children look at us and follow the example. If they see that we are behaving with dignity, they will do the same.

- You were one of many athletes who signed an open letter from the Belarusian sports community. Why did you decide to take this step?

- First, I read the text that came before this letter. It was written very competently. It talked about falsification of elections, about the pressure on people, about the resignation of the president. I saw a lively and healthy conversion. To stand aside in such a situation is simply immoral. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen among the signatories the people from whom I expected this. They may not yet realize the nightmare of the situation.

- Are you surprised that there are few footballers and hockey players among the signatories?

- You are not quite right. There are enough representatives of these sports, only there are no stars among them. This is their right. The main message of this letter is to stop the violence. Personally, I am opposed to violence, which, unfortunately, exists in our country today. But I know that athletes are intimidated by so-called ideology officers. You see, this applies not only to the strikers, but also to the athletes. I can only voice my civil position. It is like in the song of Viktor Tsoi: we are waiting for changes. This is a normal life requirement, in which there is nothing to be ashamed of.

- Have you got tired during all these days?

- There is no fatigue. There is sadness and grief, but this is temporary. If you don't let this situation through yourself, you won't understand what tragedy happened in the fate of the Belarusian people.

- Most importantly: do you believe in change?

- Without faith, everything dies. Believe me, it is useless to fight with the people, the number of whom in the streets of Belarusian cities is growing. One friend of mine said: “If I don't come to the square, then I start to get depressed. It's hard for me. Here I see a huge number of people and I am charged with their energy ”. Moreover, the demands of the protesters are absolutely normal. They talk about love for their land and their people. Where and when could we express our correct position under such a beautiful flag?

But the most important thing is the belief that the Belarusian people will win. It's a matter of time, but I would not want to wait another five years till the next elections. I would like changes to come much earlier, and be peaceful. I would like the country's leadership to understand that it is pointless to fight against its own people.