‘I Was Almost Ready To Fight With Regime Supporters’

Former head coach of Vityaz handball club Kanstantsin Yakauleu believes that the main things in life are honor and dignity.

Kanstantsin Yakauleu is a coach of the Vityaz handball team, a master of sports, who in 2020 was one of the first to sign a letter from athletes for fair elections, and was also one of the first to experience a “symmetrical response” of the regime.

The team, which publicly supported the detained basketball player Yelena Leuchanka, was removed from the championship, and then deprived of the training ground.

Kanstantsin himself was detained in June of this year, when friends met sports journalist Dzmitry Ruto after an administrative arrest - the security forces launched a whole special operation with a car stopping on the highway, writes Solidarity.

And the coach got 15 days of detention under the “popular” article for ... the intention to conduct a training session in the open air in Novaya Baravaya. This was regarded as “a violation of the order of organizing or holding mass events.”

And although then Kanstantsin Yakauleu laughed it off, like, “I went to jail - I am a Belarusian”, in addition to the detention there were threats, confiscation of equipment, transparent hints of a new case underway. After weighing the risks, he left Belarus and has been living in Ukraine for almost five months.

- How is the adaptation going? Differently. Household issues are solvable, psychologically it’s more difficult. In general, I am very grateful to Ukraine: ordinary people, politicians who try to help and support the Belarusians who were forced to leave the country as much as possible.

Once at a meeting in the Chernihiv House for Human Rights, many Belarusians gathered, we talked like in films about the club of Alcoholics Anonymous: who came from where, why they had to leave, what difficulties they faced... And you know, when the circle reached me, I realized that I had nothing to complain about, that I feel good here.

At first I thought: maybe it's worth keeping silent, not annoying people, and then I decided - this is my experience, why can't I share it? I also went through the circles of our Belarusian hell: I was fired, repressed, was in prison, I was threatened, I was forced to leave.

At first, three or four days after the move, it rolled over, it was hard. But, thank God, I have people around me who you can turn to and talk to, when you yourself can't handle it, you are failing.

Kanstantsin has something to compare with: for a long time he lived in Poland, in addition, he played in Lebanon - and neither there, nor there he could “blend in”. In Ukraine, he says, in this regard, it is much more comfortable. Now he is studying local handball and is thinking of creating a new project here.

“I was almost ready to fight with supporters of the regime”

- Even if a criminal case had not been opened against me in Belarus and I would have stayed in the country, I would not have resisted psychologically. How is it: after all our events, just live, pretending that nothing happened ?! I determined for myself that now the authorities have created a Byelorussia - a country where it smells of blood, lies and hypocrisy, where it is very difficult to just be - out of Belarus.

The equipment, confiscated five months ago, was returned to the athlete's lawyer only recently - and some things have not yet been returned. “There are some diplomas, T-shirts and hoodies with the words “Play fair” and “The people are champion”, I don't know what other experts want to find in them,” Kanstantsin says ironically.

In Kyiv, by the way, he conducted the very training in the open air, which became the reason for the detention in Minsk. He says that it was necessary to close the gestalt and fulfill the promise, to put an end to this story for himself.

After the summer of 2020, the dismissed coach had much more free time, and he began to actively write songs related to the situation in Belarus. Then he released the video “How much is your conscience, athlete?”

Will there be a continuation? Kanstantsin does not know yet: he says he is engaged in creativity with joy. And if it inspires someone else, he would be just glad.

- Did someone you mean respond to the video “How much is your conscience, athlete?”

- No, everyone sits still like mice. I know that people have watched and are watching, they follow my activity - this can be seen from views in stories, from some reviews through third hands. But no one personally responded.

Before that, as the operator of the Chestnok channel Yaraslau Pisarenka said, our famous handball player Siarhei Rutenka was on the air of ONT and announced that he was ready to conduct some kind of dialogue, to communicate with those who disagree. I publicly said: yes, of course, let's talk. Moreover, we are very familiar. But nobody responded.

I know Siarhei: he is a man of character, in a good way he is ready to “fight”, to defend his position. And, frankly, I thought he would respond.

I used to hate those who actively supported the regime and was almost ready to fight them when I saw footage of peaceful actions being dispersed: they beat women, pulled them by the hair, beat the students, they didn't even spare elderly people.

Now I want to leave it all on their conscience. I am sure that time will put everything in its place, and sooner or later everyone will have to look their colleagues in the eye and bear responsibility - for action or inaction.

“All husks need to be removed from sports”

Kanstantsin Yakauleu speaks very definitely about the sporting disappointments of the year: there are none.

- I rejoice at the defeat of today's “regime sport”, and I am very pleased when the representatives of the so-called national football team of Belarus lose one game after another with a crushing score. This gives me only positive emotions. After all, this is not a sport - this is sycophancy in its purest form, the substitution of professionalism for loyalty to the regime.

There is nothing to cheer for, all these defeats are not an accident, but a pattern. Although it is clear that every month, even during the day, we are systematically rolling back, because the world does not want to deal with “Belorussia”. The only thing left to do is to arrange local competitions and play with yourself; or go to Afghanistan, Syria, Jordan - to play with those guys with whom the authorities are friends, to be “champions of the courtyard”.

I am disappointed with other things. When Fazel came and hugged Lukashenka. Or when the Belarusian agenda fades and some international competitions are still held in Belarus.

Or, for example, the reaction of UEFA to obvious violations in the Belarusian football - there are facts, witnesses, evidence base, but this is not enough. (In the middle of autumn, a report was published on discrimination against athletes for political reasons by the Belarusian Football Federation. UEFA stated that the above facts were not enough to impose sanctions on the Belarusian side.

Now the case has been accepted for consideration by the Arbitration Court in Lausanne, but in order for the proceedings to begin, the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation needs to deposit 22.5 thousand euros as soon as possible - edit.)

- I would like to believe that there are not only disappointments, but also reasons for joy, and those who inspire ...

- Yes, these are all those free athletes who signed the letter for fair elections, who did not withdraw their signatures, despite the pressure. For such people I am proud and ready to stand up as a mountain.

- How long will it take to restore Belarusian sport after what is happening to it now, when security officials or loyal people from other spheres are put in leadership positions (remember the rower Aliaksandr Bahdanovich, who headed the ice hockey federation)?

- It seems to me, in any case, no matter who comes to power, the system that has developed in sports now needs to be reformed and all unnecessary, all the husks should be removed. The worst medal result in history at the Tokyo Olympics - it happened for a reason, it was a gradual deterioration as a result of such “management”.

A general, or a colonel, or a former presidential security guard cannot run a sport: he does not know, does not understand it, except that he has some idea of it in general terms. And here the army control system does not work. In sport, people who have left the sport, good managers - a whole team should be in charge, be engaged in its development.

Yes, with any reform in the early years, the results will be small. But this restructuring is necessary - it is work for a long, long-term perspective.

“I'll run to the border”

- In the summer of 2020, you abruptly quit smoking, marking a new life. What other challenges could they take if they said: Kostya, we need you to do this in order to win?

- I am an easy-going person, and sometimes I even discover myself from new sides when I need to solve some creative or organizational moments that I have not encountered before. Therefore, I don't even know what I would refuse. Any business or initiative that can help a particular person or all of us to defeat this regime - I am ready for anything. And I am sure many representatives of the Free Association of Athletes will agree to this.

If I see that a critical mass of people is gathering, ready, no matter how pretentious it may sound, to die for the country - I will run to the border to be with them, side by side.

- To stay or to return?

- My civil position is directly related to the fact that my “triplet” - my children, my family live in a normal society, in a civilized country. Maybe even mainly I do all this for their sake.

And if it comes to improving everyday life and going somewhere in Europe - to live, work ... Now I do not live close to Minsk anyway. Of course, I would agree to some interesting proposal that would allow providing for children. If necessary, you can still get on a plane at any time, fly to Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania, and from there start home. I don’t think about how it will turn out - it seems to me that I’m ready for anything.

None of those who left wanted this, they waited until the last. They left only because it was unsafe to stay - people like me, like Andrei Krauchanka, Yelena Leuchanka, who had already been in prisons and understood how difficult it is to do something in these conditions.

No matter what, with every part of the body and soul we are in Belarus and with Belarus. No perks or tempting offers will change this priority. It is not important how much money you earn and what car you drive, the main thing is honor and dignity, who you are, how you will remain in the memory of people.