Belarus dictator 'wins' ski competition after rival takes a tumble
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukahshenko won a governmental skiing competition at the weekend, but only after a competitor fell over several times in an apparent bid to hand him victory.
In a clip widely shared on social media, an unidentified competitor falls over four times in less than a minute, allowing Mr Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation for more than two decades, to glide past him.
Mr Lukashenko’s team went on to claim victory in the cross-country relay race at “Minsk Ski” - an annual event that sets groups from the presidential administration, ministries and various regional authorities against each other.
“It is always difficult to win,” the president told state media after the event. “Especially when you are being watched - and excuse my immodesty here - by millions of people.”
He added: “It’s very hard for me. But it makes people happy. This is my fate. My job is to make people happier.”
Mr Lukashenko’s victory was the top story for Belta, the Belarusian state news agency, on Sunday afternoon, as many on social media alleged a fix.
Hundreds of thousands of people took the streets of Belarus last year after Mr Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in a presidential election widely seen as rigged.
The opposition at one point seemed on the verge of toppling the dictator, but police launched a brutal crackdown on the demonstrations. Prominent activists were jailed or forced into exile, while journalists who covered the protests have been sentenced to prison terms.
The UK and EU have imposed sanctions on Belarus over the police violence. Russia has helped to prop up the Mr Lukashenko regime with financial support.
Last month, Mr Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin were pictured skiing and snowboarding together during a meeting at the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.
Also at the weekend, Mr Lukashenko announced that Belarus would consider submitting a new song to this year’s Eurovision Song Contest after its original entry was banned for its political lyrics.
Belarus put forward a pro-Lukashenko group called Galasy ZMesta, whose number “I’ll Teach You” seemed to take aim at the protest movements.
“They are squeezing us on all fronts,” the president said after the European Broadcasting Union rejected the song. “But if we need to we’ll make another song, no problem.”
