Zhan Beleniuk, the Olympic gold medalist and member of the Ukrainian Parliament, is to deliver the welcome address at this week’s inaugural SBC Summit CIS, Presented by Parimatch, in Kyiv.

Beleniuk has enjoyed a hugely successful career as a Greco-Roman wrestler. The highpoint came when he won gold in the 87kg competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, to add to his silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and his two World Championship victories.

His win in Tokyo was made all the more remarkable by the fact that he had to combine training with a political career, having been elected to the Verkhovna Rada in 2019 at the age of just 28. 

Beleniuk, who is Ukraine’s first ever black lawmaker, is now the First Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Youth and Sports. 

His next assignment will be to welcome delegates to SBC Summit CIS, the new conference and exhibition for the betting and gaming industry in Eastern Europe and the CIS, which takes place at Parkovy Kyiv International Convention Center on 13-14 October. 

Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of event organiser SBC, said: “We’re honoured to have Zhan join us at SBC Summit CIS. Our audience is always interested in hearing from successful people, so it will be fascinating to listen to someone who has an impressive track record in two very different fields.”

Beleniuk is not the only figure from Ukrainian politics set to be involved in the Summit, as David Arakhamia (Head of the ruling Sluga Narodu party) will join Oleksiy Kucher (Head of the State Regulatory Service), Ivan Rudyi (Chairman of the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries) and Boris Baum (First Deputy Chief of the Expert Advisory Council of the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries) on a panel about the future of gambling taxation on the first morning of the event.

Over the two days of the Summit, the agenda will provide an in-depth look at the future of the betting and gaming industry in markets including Ukraine, Georgia, the Baltic states, Belarus and Central Asia. 

A line-up of 80 expert speakers has been assembled to deliver valuable insights, including senior executives from Parimatch, Adjarabet, Enlabs, Cosmolot, Storm International, Pin-Up, Betlive, Favbet, Totogaming and Pokermatch, and influential leaders from the Ukrainian Gambling Council and Georgian Gambling Association.

Sojmark added: “SBC’s international events are renowned for the high quality of the conference agendas and speaker line-ups, and we have maintained that standard for our first ever event in Kyiv. With help from our partners at Sports Media Holding, Parimatch and the Ukrainian Gambling Council, we have created a conference that will deliver a detailed examination of the future of the industry in the region and also reveal some of the secrets of building a successful offer for local markets.”

In addition to the conference, the Summit features an exhibition showcasing the latest innovations from suppliers and a programme of evening networking events in stylish Kyiv venues.

Book your pass for SBC Summit CIS at the event’s official website.