Stand in Solidarity with Anatol Kotau
The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) calls on the international sports community and human rights organizations to urgently pay attention to the disappearance of Anatol Kotau, a prominent sports official and long-standing advocate for the rights of Belarusian athletes.
Anatol Kotau is currently Coordinator for International Relations of the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation, former Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, and Deputy Director of the II European Games 2019 in Minsk. He also serves as a member of the Ethics Commission of the World Dance Sport Federation and is part of the Athletes for Freedom Foundation (USA) working group.
In recent years, Kotau has been at the forefront of defending the rights of Belarusian athletes, openly opposing the Lukashenko regime and its repressive practices. For his political and human rights activities, he was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison in Belarus.
On 21 August 2025, Anatol Kotau traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, on professional matters. Shortly after his arrival, contact with him was lost. His last known communications were that same day. Since then, his whereabouts remain unknown.
It is important to note that Kotau has been listed on wanted registers by both Belarusian and Russian authorities, which raises serious concerns about his safety and potential political persecution.
The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation urges:
- The international sports community, federations, and institutions to stand in solidarity with Anatol Kotau.
- Human rights organizations and diplomatic actors to engage with Turkish authorities to ensure urgent investigation into his disappearance.
Kotau’s decades-long service in sport, his international standing, and his resolute devotion to athletes’ rights make his disappearance a matter of grave concern not only for Belarusian society, but for the global sports and human rights community.
