Belarus Olympian to go on hunger strike as political protest

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An Olympic silver medalist who is one of Belarus’ most lauded athletes says he is going on a 10-day hunger strike to support victims of political repression in his country. Andrei Krauchanka medaled in the decathlon at the 2008 Games in Beijing. He said Friday that along with the hunger strike, he is selling his European indoor decathlon gold medal from 2011 to help the families of political prisoners. Protesters in Belarus spent months last year calling for authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to resign, following an allegedly rigged August election that gave him a sixth term in office. Krauchanka was among the thousands of people detained and beaten by police.