The Ukrainian raised a saber instead of shaking hands with the Russian. Scandal at the World Fencing Championships
Mikhail Chesalin
27 July 2023, 13: 45 MSK
Olga Harlan should have been disqualified, but it seems that she will avoid punishment. Double standards are back in action.
There was a scandal at the World Fencing Championships. This is due to the fact that this is one of the first major tournaments where Russian athletes compete under a neutral flag and Ukrainian athletes constantly cross paths. In the early days, it seemed that there would be no duels on the track between Russia and Ukraine. Fencer Igor Reizlin, for example, simply didn’t go out to fight Russian Vadim Anokhin. The Ukrainian athlete provided a medical certificate to avoid confrontation.
Reizlin’s act could be explained by Ukrainian legislation: athletes were banned from participating in tournaments where there are Belarusians or Russians. And the refusal could be interpreted as an unwillingness to get in trouble with the law when returning from competition. But just a day ago, this requirement for Ukrainian athletes from the authorities was significantly relaxed.
The mysterious refusal of Igor Reizlin:
The Ukrainian fencer provided a medical certificate not to fight the Russian
And this resulted in a much brighter and more revealing story.
In one of the fights at the World Championships, Ukraine’s Olga Harlan and Russia’s Anna Smirnova teamed up. Olga, if anything, is a very experienced and brilliant athlete, an Olympic champion who won gold at the 2008 Games. She knows perfectly well all the subtleties of regulations and rules of good manners, which abound in fencing – a rather chivalrous sport.
But today, unfortunately, there is no time for chivalry.
The Russian lost with a score of 7:15. And after the end of the fight, opponents must, according to the rules, shake hands. Smirnova went to Harlan, extending her hand, and the Ukrainian woman advanced her weapon. Not letting her rival from Russia approach her, Harlan said something to her and left. And Smirnova had to wait for the necessary handshake on the track. I had to wait about half an hour, the organizers even offered Anna a chair. But Harlan never came back, the handshake didn’t happen.
Let’s move on to the international rules of the FIE.
Chapter T.87 says: “Before the start of each fight, two fencers must greet the opponent, the referee and the spectators. Likewise, after the last injection, the fight is not considered finished until the athletes greet each other, the referee and the audience. Before the referee makes a decision, athletes must remain on the track, after making the decision, they must salute again and shake hands. If one or both athletes refuse to salute or shake hands in accordance with this rule, the referee shall suspend him from participating in these competitions, as well as from two subsequent FIE competitions in this type of weapons (articles T.114, T.119, T.120). The points or titles obtained so far are preserved.”
And do you think Olga Harlan was suspended?
Of course not. The protest of the Russian side was rejected.
The decision of the international federation is foreseeable:
The FIE violated its rules by giving the Ukrainian victory over the Russian in the World Championship
And in this sense, a question. No, not Olga and not the Ukrainian side. The motivation for their actions, the reluctance to shake hands can be explained. I have a question for the international federation and the World Cup referees. And since when can someone violate the written rules and traditions of a sport with impunity?
Or are you afraid to punish Harlan because it will cause an international outcry? Well, then you just need to spit on the existing rules, the sports component and give gold to the Ukrainians. And everyone is happy.
Maybe it’s time to stop working under a double standard?
Although… It seems that we are asking too much.
