Vladimir Vladimirovich Parfenovich (; , ; born 2 December 1958) is a retired Belarusian sprint canoer and politician. Sport Parfenovich competed for the Soviet Union at the Moscow Olympics and became the first canoer to win all three events he entered: K-1 500 m, K-2 500 m and K-2 1000 m. He also won twelve medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, with nine golds (K-1 500 m: 1979, 1981–1983; K-2 500 m: 1979, 1981, 1982; K-2 1000 m: 1981, 1982) and three silvers (K-1 500 m: 1978, K-2 500 m: 1983, K-2 1000 m: 1983). Parfenovich retired from competitions after learning that the 1984 will be boycotted by the Soviet Union. He then worked as an instructor for the Sport ministry of Belarus and served in the KGB and police forces. In 1995–2007 he headed the Canoe-Kayak Federation of Belarus and was a member of the Belarusian Olympic Committee. After that he trained canoers in Russia, and in 2013 became head coach of the Russian team. Politics In 2000, he entered politics and was elected to the National Assembly of Belarus. He joined the parliamentary group Respublika that opposed the government of Aleksandr Lukashenko. On 3 June 2004, Parfenovich and two other members of parliament, general Valery Fralou and Siarhiej Skrabiec, started a hunger strike, arguing that the chair of the parliament did not give them the chance for debate and did not put to vote their proposed amendments to the election code. They stopped the strike on 21 June, when parliament voted against their proposals. References 1958 births Living people Sportspeople from Minsk Belarusian male canoeists Canoeists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Olympic canoeists of the Soviet Union Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Soviet male canoeists Olympic medalists in canoeing ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Belarusian sportsperson-politicians Members of the House of Representatives of Belarus Politicians from Minsk