Draft:Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation

The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) is a non-profit organization registered in Tallinn, Estonia. It was founded in 2020 by Aliaksandr Apeikin. The organization's primary mission is to protect athletes' rights against discrimination, and to promote human rights, freedom, and democratic values through sport, while providing multilateral support to athletes and sports functionaries.

History
The Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF), established on August 23, 2020, is an organization dedicated to supporting Belarusian athletes who have faced persecution on political grounds. Its inception followed the controversial presidential election of August 9, 2020, in Belarus, where election results were widely criticized for being falsified, allowing Alexander Lukashenko to remain in power. Notably, none of the international community's civilized nations recognized Lukashenko as the legitimate president during this period, a sentiment shared by the athletes who participated in the widespread protests that swept through Minsk and other Belarusian cities. These protests prompted the authoritarian regime to target athletes, leading to numerous prosecutions. Some athletes faced legal consequences merely for their association with the BSSF, resulting in over 100 athletes receiving fines, dismissals from their positions, or even incarceration.

In October 2020, Aliaksandra Herasimenia became the organization's Chairwoman. In 2022, she left the foundation to concentrate on giving swimming lessons in Warsaw.

The BSSF operates with a primary mission to extend legal, financial, and organizational support to Belarusian athletes and sports professionals who have endured adversity for their outspoken opposition to the Lukashenko regime. Simultaneously, the foundation actively engages with international organizations and sports federations to safeguard the rights of these athletes.

In response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which resulted in significant damage to Ukraine's sports infrastructure, the BSSF expanded its scope to offer various forms of assistance to Ukrainian athletes, particularly the younger generation. This collaborative effort involves working closely with Ukrainian partners.

In April 2022, the Lukashenko regime took the contentious step of designating the BSSF as an extremist organization.

Activities and Achievements
As of 2022, the BSSF transferred hundreds of thousands of Euro to provide financial assistance to the repressed athletes, managers and sports functionaries.

The organization provided targeted assistance to the 115 individuals who had applied for it at the time.

The foundation organized an international solidarity event Marathon for Freedom in support of Belarusians, which was attended by more than 5000 people from 45 countries.

In light of gross violations of athletes and civilians' rights, in 2021 the BSSF achieved the transfer of the Ice Hockey World Championship from Belarus to Latvia. The organization was in close contact with the International Ice Hockey Federation and the tournament's sponsors, describing the crackdown on anti-government protesters in the wake of Lukashenka’s falsified re-election a year earlier. Holding a major event, such as the ice hockey World Championship, would have legitimized the regime. The BSSF successfully lobbied to cancel several other events that were supposed to take place in Belarus, including the World Modern Pentathlon Championship, the UEFA Futsal Champions League Final , and the UEFA Women's European Under-19 Championship.

Based on the statements of the BSSF, the evidence provided, and other materials, the International Olympic Committee(IOC) initiated sanctions against the Belarus Olympic Committee and Lukashenka personally, and the International Ice Hockey Federation launched an investigation against the then-President of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association Dzmitry Baskau (Dmitriy Baskov) on accessory to murder charges.

The organization launched the International Anti-War Declaration that to date has been signed by more than 500 athletes and sports representatives from 30 countries worldwide, including more than 40 Olympic and Paralympic champions and medallists, 120 World champions and medallists.

BSSF has organized four Marathon for Freedom charity online races, the latest of which brought together more than 5000 participants from 54 countries.

The Foundation arranged the first SportTech Hackathon for Belarus, in which more than 20 teams of talented programmers, marketers, business analysts and managers competed for the title of the best project.

The BSSF organized the Day of Sports Solidarity in 2022, celebrated by the Belarusian diaspora in 14 cities and 9 countries (USA, France, Italy, Austria, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia and Belgium) by participating in sports activities in support of the Belarusian political prisoners.

The organization launched the BSSF Academy, from which more than 50 students have already graduated.

The BSSF organized a video production team and produced videos covering topics related to the developments in Belarusian sports and the repression carried out by sports officials.

In May 2023, the BSSF along with the Olga Saladukha Charitable Initiatives and the Athletes for Freedom Foundation organized and held the Athletes for Peace and Freedom Conference in Tallinn, Estonia, which attracted participants and speakers from the USA, Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, and Austria. Among them were multiple-time World and European champions, Olympic medalists, etc. This resulted in the signing of a joint declaration.

In August 2023, the Soccer Club Pahonia was launched in Warsaw, Poland, fully comprised of Belarusian players who had to flee their native Belarus on political grounds after August 2020. The club received financial and informational support from the BSSF, including contacts with the Polish Olympic Committee and the Masovian Football Association to obtain permission to participate in Polish tournaments.

The Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation is actively involved in verifying Belarusian athletes who have qualified for the 2024 Olympics. In collaboration with Global Athletes (Canada), Athletes for Ukraine (Ukraine), and the Open Society Foundation (USA), the BSSF assesses these athletes' compliance with neutrality criteria. The verification process involves investigating athletes' potential affiliations with security forces and examining their social media activity and digital presence for any statements supporting military operations in Ukraine or other armed conflicts.

Impact and Recognition
Since its inception in 2020, the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) has garnered international recognition within the domain of sports policy, particularly across Eastern Europe, encompassing nations such as Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and the Baltic States.

As a matter of regular practice, the BSSF actively engages in official dialogues with such high-profile entities as the U.S. Department of State, the European Parliament, and the European Commission. Simultaneously, it maintains productive interactions with U.S. Senators’ offices, fosters strategic alliances with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), international sports federations, national governments, National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and Ministries of Sport across multiple nations, including the United States, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, among others.

The BSSF plays an integral role in global discourses and strategic consultations concerning the participation of Belarusian and Russian athletes in international sporting events. Furthermore, it advocates for the augmentation of sanctions against the aggressor states, while concurrently initiating projects aimed at supporting Ukrainian and free Belarusian athletes. In these deliberations, the BSSF acts as an expert and a representative of the Belarusian sporting community.

In collaboration with Poland's Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the BSSF pioneered the establishment of a precedent by crafting criteria for the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sporting tournaments. This practice has been widely adopted by various international sports federations and governmental bodies.

Furthermore, the BSSF established partnerships with such sports organizations as World Players Association, Athleten Deutschland, Global Athlete , FIFPRO, ISLA, UNI Global Union, and others.

In recognition of the BSSF's achievements and contributions to international sport, the BSSF was recognized as the best sports initiative and received the main award at the Play the Game (NGO) 2022 major sports conference in Denmark for the work it had done since its foundation.

High Profile Cases
The case of Krystsina Tsimanouskaya was one of the high profile cases the BSSF handled. The BSSF was the first organization to have contacted multiple international organizations as Belarusian authorities were forcing Ms. Tsimanouskaya to leave the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, and return to her native Belarus after she criticized her coaches on Instagram for registering her for the wrong event. She had been warned of a possible arrest upon her return, and decided to seek help from the Japanese authorities. The BSSF carried out a lot of work with the Polish authorities to arrange for Ms.Tsimanouskaya's arrival and settlement in Poland, while claiming she would be trying to seek refuge in Germany or Austria so as to mislead Belarusian authorities.

Through the BSSF, Tsimanouskaya auctioned off her European Games medal to raise funds for other athletes who suffered from repression.

As of 6 August, 2023, Krystsina is able to compete internationally under Polish citizenship, since the BSSF and the Polish Athletic Association have done everything possible to defend the athlete's rights. She has already won multiple medals since settling in Poland and competing in local tournaments.

The case received worldwide attention, and the BSSF's work has been recognized by multiple entities and persons, including the 71st United States secretary of state Anthony Blinken.

The case of the Olympic free skier Aliaksandra Ramanouskaya is another high profile one, wherein the BSSF provided multilateral support to the arrested athlete. She was among more than 2000 athletes, coaches, functionaries, and personnel who signed the Open Letter condemning the violence and repression Lukashenka's regime unleashed against the nation following the protests against the fraudulent re-election.

Belarusian decathlete and Olympian Andrei Krauchanka, a co-signer of the open letter, was arrested for taking part in peaceful protests in 2020. He spent 10 days behind bars, and upon release fled from Belarus to Germany with assistance from the BSSF. Later, he became a co-founder of the Athletes for Freedom Foundation along with the former Ukrainian athlete and a member of Verkhovna Rada Olga Saladukha. Krauchanka left his homeland with his wife Yana Maksimava and their daughter. Yana, also an Olympian and a heptathlon athlete, said they had decided to stay in Germany out of fear of losing not only freedom but life.

Another prominent athlete who was arrested and jailed by the Lukashenka regime is a former WNBA player Yelena Leuchanka. Leuchanka is a co-signer of the open letter against violence and for fair election, and a participant of peaceful manifestations. She also received assistance from the BSSF, including financial aid for further education.

Controversies
In December 2022, both Aliaksandr Apeikin and Aliaksandra Herasimenia were sentenced to 12 years in prison in absentia on far-fetched charges

Fundraising and Financials
The BSSF is involved in fundraising activities for charitable purposes.

In May 2023, following the Athletes for Peace and Freedom Conference, by means of a combined multilateral effort involving the BSSF, the Estonian Olympic Committee, Olga Saladukha’s Charitable Initiatives, and the Athletes for Freedom Foundation, Nike, Inc. uniforms and sneakers were provided for and delivered to young and aspiring Ukrainian athletes