9 professional athletes who became politicians

Vitali Klitschko's bid for president of Ukraine puts him in a league with other power-hungry athletes

boxing
(Image credit: (Steve Grayson/WireImage))

In a gift to headline writers everywhere, heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has announced he will run for president of Ukraine. While we're sure he will KO the opposition, or at least be a serious contender, it's worth musing briefly on the well-worn passage from sports to politics. Athletes from every corner of the sporting world have pursued the higher calling of political office.

Klitschko isn't even the only boxer to take a swing at politics; former eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao was elected to the Philippines' House of Representatives in 2010, representing the province of Sarangani. However, Pacquaio is far from undefeated in the world of politics — a previous run for the Filipino congress ended in failure.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Dan Stewart is a senior editor at The Week magazine. Originally from the U.K., he has been living in the United States since 2009.