Heavyweight boxing world champion Oleksandr Usyk has been released after being detained by law-enforcement officers at Poland's Krakow airport, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
It was not immediately clear why the 37-year-old Usyk was detained, although he later said on Instagram that the incident was a "misunderstanding". The WBC, WBO and WBA champion, who also won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, has been a national hero aiding Kyiv's war efforts.
"I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion," Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app. "I've instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko to immediately find out all the details of the incident at the Krakow airport.
"As soon as I was informed that everything is fine, our champion was released and no one is detaining him anymore."
Writing on X, Sybiha said: "We immediately responded to the detention of Oleksandr Usyk in Krakow and facilitated his release. I was informed of the details by our Consul General. We consider such actions to be disproportionate and unacceptable towards our champion and will send a note to the Polish side."
Usyk soon took to social media to update his followers, writing in an Instagram post: "Friends, everything is fine. There was a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved. Thank you to everyone who was concerned. Respect to the Polish law enforcement officers who perform their duties regardless of height, weight, arm span, and titles."
Polish TVP Info, a television news channel run by state broadcaster TVP, published a social media video on its website showing Polish law-enforcement officers walking the handcuffed Usyk through what appeared to be an airport.
Usyk's wife, Yekaterina Usyk, who posted a blurred photo of her husband surrounded by uniformed officers, said in an Instagram post that she was thankful her husband was free after a misunderstanding.
Usyk beat Tyson Fury on a split decision in May to become the first undisputed heavyweight world champion of the four-belt era following a thrilling contest at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
The Ukrainian was the first undisputed champion since the end of Lennox Lewis' reign in April 2000. He later vacated his IBF title having been unable to fulfill his mandatory duties of fighting interim belt holder Daniel Dubois due to his contractually obligated rematch with Fury in December, which will also take place in Riyadh.
Dubois will make his first title defence against former two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday in a blockbuster event led by Riyadh Season. Usyk is expected to be in attendance for the fight.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
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%3Cp%3E%E2%97%8F%20Estijaba%20helpline%3A%208001717%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Health%20and%20Prevention%20hotline%3A%20045192519%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Mental%20health%20support%20line%3A%20800%204673%20(Hope)%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20at%20hope.hw.gov.ae%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
