Merey Akshalov, vice-president of the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, has publicly backed 2016 Olympic champion Daniyar Yeleusinov after he became embroiled in yet another scandal at Almaty airport, infohub.kz reports.
Akshalov set out his position in an Instagram post. He stressed that he continues to believe in Yeleusinov despite a string of scandalous episodes in the life of the 2016 Olympic champion. According to the federation vice-president, the demands of the law and of discipline are equal and the same for every citizen of the country, both in life and in sport.
"But right now I want to express my support for my brother Daniyar Yeleusinov, who has found himself in a difficult situation. Daniyar is an Olympic champion, a distinguished athlete who has raised our country's flag more than once. We are all human and we can make mistakes in this life. The most important thing is to draw the right conclusions from your mistakes. I believe in Daniyar. I wish him the strength to get through this difficult period with dignity and to continue contributing to the development of sport in our country," Akshalov wrote.
It was reported earlier that a passenger caused a commotion right on an Almaty–Astana flight at Almaty airport. The media showed video from the scene, and according to the available information that passenger turned out to be Daniyar Yeleusinov.
Before that, in early July, Yeleusinov was arrested and stripped of his driving licence. The capital's police also showed how his detention after a road accident unfolded. After those events, Yeleusinov spoke openly for the first time about his problems with alcohol and addressed his fans.