Zhan Beleniuk (born 24 January 1991) is a Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler and politician. In 2019, he became the first black member of the Ukrainian Parliament. Beleniuk was born in 1991 in Kyiv to a Ukrainian mother and a father from Rwanda. His father was a pilot who studied in Kyiv at the National Aviation University and died during the Genocide in Rwanda. Beleniuk began wrestling in 2000 when he was nine years old. Thee-time European, two-time World Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in under-85 (87) kg weight category. In 2016, he won the silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In 2021, he won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He was educated at the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport (Master of Sports Psychology) and the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management with a degree in business management. Beleniuk was elected a deputy to the Verkhovna Rada in July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election as a member of the Servant of the People political party. He was one of the first ten candidates on the party’s electoral list. He’s served as the first deputy head of the parliamentary Committee on Youth and Sports. Beleniuk’s vision of Ukraine’s future involves building the necessary infrastructure to support athletes and the improvement of public health by promoting sports.
