Uladzimir Parfianovich (Belarusian: Уладзімір Парфяновіч; Russian: Владимир Парфенович, Vladimir Parfenovich; born December 2, 1958 in Minsk, Belarus) is a 3-time Olympic champion and nine times World and European champion in rowing and a politician from Belarus.

Sport

Uladzimir Parfianovich is the only canoeist to win three Olympic gold medals at the same Olympic Games. He has achieved this at Moscow Olympic Games in 1980, winning gold in single sculls K1 500 meters, double sculls K2 500 meters, and double sculls K2 1000 meters.

He was world champion in 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1983.

Politics

After completing his sport career Uladzimir Parfianovich worked as a canoeing/kayaking instructor at the Sport ministry of Belarus, served in KGB and police forces, worked as representative of an Austrian firm. In 2000 he participated in parliamentary elections and won.

Democratic opposition in Belarus boycotted those elections to Lukashenka's parliament, charging that it was just a "puppet show". Even in this "puppet" parliament there eventually appeared dissenting voices who were not afraid to say that they don't like the authoritarian rule of Lukashenka. They formed a parliamentary group "Respublika". And Uladzimir Parfianovich was one of the members of this group.

On June 3 2004 Uladzimir Parfianovich and two other members of parliament, general Valery Fralou and Siarhiej Skrabiec started a hunger-strike protesting that chair of the parliament does not give them floor and does not put to vote their proposed amendments to the Election code. Several other opposition politician joined their hunger strike. The three politicians stopped the hunger strike after 18 days on June 21, when Parliament voted against their proposals.

One month later on July 21, 2004 on the 10th annivessary of Lukashenka's term in office Uladzimir Parfianovich together with his colleagues organized a peaceful street protest which was roughly dispersed by the police.

Uladzimir Parfianovich is still engaged in Belarusian politics, actively opposing the current leader of Belarus Alyaksandr Lukashenka. For his political opposition activities authorities attempted to exclude him from the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, just before the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but at the last moment Lukashenka, who is also a president of the National Olympic Committee, did not sign the document.