Ukrainian fencer Olga Harlan defeated Russian Anna Smirnova and refused to shake her hand
The athlete won the 2023 World Championship with a score of 15:7 and at the moment of shaking hands she put her sword in front of her opponent. Harlan did not refuse the greeting, but did not want to shake hands. Having put a sword in front of her opponent, she offered her to "hit" with sabers instead, which is allowed by the regulations of the International Fencing Federation. However, the Russian woman refused. According to the rules, the fencer's refusal to salute the opponent can lead to disqualification, and the fight is considered incomplete.
However, the Russian Smirnova demanded a handshake, protesting against the actions of the Ukrainian, she waited for the judges' decision for about an hour, sitting on the track, but after the meeting, Smirnova's protest was not satisfied and the Ukrainian went to the next round. It is reported that she was initially allowed to go to the next round against the athlete from Bulgaria Ioanna Iliyeva, but then she was not allowed to fight, so the representative of Bulgaria was declared the winner.
However, later the President of the Ukrainian Fencing Federation Mykhailo Ilyashev reported that now a protest is being prepared, and the decision of the judges is planned to be appealed.
"We are preparing a protest, we will object. But there is no question of returning her to these competitions. The judge, who worked directly on this match, did not give a black card, did not disqualify her. It was only then that the carpet games began," said Ilyashev, commenting on the athlete's disqualification on the broadcast of the telethon.
He added that the disqualification came after the appointment of the next opponent and the appointment of the referee for the next fight.
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