"Unfit condition" and "steroids": why Usyk was arrested at the Krakow airport while his friend was being tested. All the details of the scandal

Late in the evening of September 17, the information space was stirred by the news that the world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk had been arrested at the Krakow airport. There were few details about the incident, so the detention and its cause immediately began to be overgrown with a large number of rumors – from traffic violations to steroid trafficking. It got to the point where the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy intervened.

OBOZ.UA has collected all the details of Usyk's arrest and the reasons why the boxer ended up in Polish handcuffs.

HOW IT ALL STARTED. The first to report the unpleasant incident with Oleksandr was the Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and MP from the Servant of the People party, Zhan Beleniuk. Soon after, he posted a video showing Usyk in handcuffs trying to explain something to Polish law enforcement officers, but then entering the elevator with them, holding his hands behind his back.

"Don't worry, everything is fine. The customs control service is neglecting its duties," Serhii Lapin, director of Usyk's team, wrote on social media.

Seeing the violent reaction that the incident with her husband caused, Kateryna Usyk hastened to reassure everyone: "Everything is fine, everything is fine! Oleksandr will explain everything later. There is nothing criminal. Good night, everyone." But how could anyone sleep after such events that developed incredibly quickly?

THE PRESIDENT'S WORD. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine immediately began to deal with the incident. The Consul General of our country in Krakow immediately went to the airport to clarify the circumstances. Afterward, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Ukrainian side categorically rejects the attitude towards its citizen and champion demonstrated in the video.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reacted to Usyk's arrest in Poland at night: "I spoke on the phone with Oleksandr Usyk when he was detained. I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion. I instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko to immediately look into all the details of the incident at Krakow Airport. I was informed that everything was fine, our champion was released."

USYK'S REACTION. Soon, Oleksandr Usyk himself confirmed that he was fine. He first made a post on Instagram and then recorded a video to make sure that he was no longer in custody. But he did not disclose any details of what happened. According to the Crimean, there was just "a misunderstanding at the airport."

"Friends, everything is fine. There was a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved. Thank you to everyone worried. I am free. I thank Ukrainian diplomats for their support. And respect to the Polish law enforcement officers who perform their duties despite their height, weight, arm span, and regalia," said Oleksandr.

"HE WAS TRANSPORTING STEROIDS". While the reasons for Usyk's detention were kept secret, social media, TV channels, and the media began to offer their own versions. The most interesting ones came from Russia.

At first, they said that Oleksandr was detained for speeding. Allegedly, the boxer was late for a plane and was literally "speeding in a luxury car, significantly exceeding the speed limit." And at the airport, the Ukrainian champion was detained by the Polish special services for this.

Then the imagination of the "well-wishers" went even further and various rather dubious TG channels suggested that Usyk was transporting steroids. Of course, there was no confirmation.

WHAT HAPPENED. Soon after, the American resource ESPN, citing its own source, reported that Usyk was detained at the airport in Krakow because of his "unfit for flight" condition. And, as it turned out later, this information was the closest to the truth.

According to the newspaper, in addition to Usyk, Polish law enforcement officers also detained his friend and team director Serhii Lapin at the airport. The airport authorities refused to allow them to board the plane, claiming that their condition was "unfit for travel by plane."

Despite Usyk's attempts to explain that they were fine and just tired after a 14-hour trip from Kyiv, the Ukrainians were detained because of the language barrier and the boxer's categorical position. But after a while, they were released.

In turn, Jacek Michalowski, a representative of the Carpathian Border Guard Detachment, told Przegląd Sportowy Onet that Oleksandr was handcuffed at Krakow Airport following the procedure as a preventive measure.

"I can confirm that the intervention concerned two people with Ukrainian citizenship. This is the case when the carrier does not allow them to fly. They lost their passenger status and were not allowed to board the plane. They did not want to leave the gate, the plane could not take off. They did not respond to the requests of the staff and, following the procedure, our employees from the special group intervened. There was no clash or any threat, it was a purely preventive measure," said Mikhalovsky.

While Polish promoter Andrzej Wasilewski called the situation with Usyk's arrest shameful for Poland.

THE TRUTH IS FROM KRASIUK. The boxer's promoter Oleksandr Krasiuk finally put the record straight, confirming that Usyk had been traveling to Krakow by car for more than 11 hours, so both he and his friend Oleksandr were very tired at the airport. From Poland, the Ukrainian was supposed to fly to Thessaloniki on board RyanAir, but the low-cost airline's employees got in the way.

"Usyk had a priority boarding line, and his friend had a general queue. While waiting for boarding, Oleksandr's friend fell asleep on the seats in the waiting area. After boarding was announced, Usyk woke his friend up and said he would wait for him at the gate. After passing the passport and boarding pass check, Usyk stayed to wait for his friend. That's how it all started," Krasiuk wrote on his Instagram.

According to Krasiuk, the airline employees somehow strangely diagnosed Usyk's friend as being "deeply intoxicated" and did not allow him to board the flight. Usyk, in turn, began to clarify the reasons for his friend's denial of boarding with RyanAir employees, who refused to give explanations and called the police.

"After the officers arrived, the airline employees pointed to the second Oleksandr and explained their conclusions about the denial of access to the flight. The police asked him to go with them to establish the fact and draw up documents. Usyk firmly stated that he would not leave his friend, would not fly without him, and was not going to leave the boarding area until representatives of Ukrainian diplomacy appeared," the promoter explained.

In response, the police threatened the boxer with detention and handcuffs: "Then Usyk stretched out his hands, and the policeman handcuffed his wrists. And only on his wrists, because as you can see from the video, the other Oleksandr is walking without handcuffs and holding a travel bag."

Already at the local police station, the boxer's friend was tested, which did not confirm RyanAir's version of severe intoxication: "After that, the police and the airline staff had an 'unpleasant conversation', but it was too late."

When the Consul General of Ukraine arrived at the scene, the explanation had to be given to Polish law enforcement: "Thank God, the incident is over. We are waiting for official apologies and compensation from RyanAir and Polish law enforcement," said Usyk's promoter.

Krasiuk also joked that the Poles celebrated the anniversary of Usyk's victory over local favorite Glowacki in a rather peculiar way. And by a strange coincidence, it was on the night of September 18, 2016, that the Ukrainian defeated Krzysztof and won his first championship belt.

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