Vitaliy Klitschko

Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klitschko (Ukrainian: Віталій Володимирович Кличко; born July 19, 1971) is a Ukrainian politician, former professional boxer, and boxing promoter. He is the current Mayor of Kyiv, a position he has held since 2014. Klitschko is also a former People's Deputy of Ukraine, serving from 2012 to 2014.

Klitschko was born in Belovodskoye, Kyrgyz SSR, Soviet Union (now Kyrgyzstan). He began boxing at the age of 14. In 1996, he won the gold medal in the super heavyweight division at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Klitschko turned professional in 1996 and won the WBO heavyweight title in 1999. He defended the title successfully 12 times before losing it to Chris Byrd in 2000. Klitschko regained the WBO title in 2004 and held it until 2005, when he lost it to Lamon Brewster. Klitschko retired from boxing in 2005 with a record of 41-2, with 38 knockouts.

After retiring from boxing, Klitschko entered politics. In 2006, he was elected to the Kyiv City Council. In 2012, he was elected to the Ukrainian Parliament. In 2014, Klitschko was elected Mayor of Kyiv. He was re-elected in 2015 and 2020.

Klitschko is a member of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc political party. He is a close ally of Poroshenko and has supported his policies. Klitschko is also a member of the European Solidarity political party.

Klitschko is a controversial figure. He has been criticized for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kyiv, his support for Poroshenko, and his alleged involvement in corruption. However, he remains a popular figure among many Ukrainians.

Klitschko is married to Natalia Klitschko. They have three children.