Why fencing takes handshaking so seriously "And it happened to be the people they sent were in specific weapons, which are events that Ukrainians had a good possibility to qualify for the Olympic Games." "The Russian Federation had the option to send or not send any of these people," Massialas said. Massialas told NPR he believes Russia gave permission to fencers who had a high likelihood of competing specifically against Ukrainians and in turn possibly triggering a controversy. Though Russian competitors compete as independent athletes not representing any country, Greg Massialas, a fencing coach for Team USA, says Russia still has sway over which of its athletes will be allowed to compete. Mykhailo Podoliak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, also pointed to a photo of Smirnova wearing a Russian army winter hat, accusing her of not truly being neutral. Ukrainian officials quickly came to Kharlan's defense, alleging that her disqualification was the Russian fencer's plan all along. Kharlan said she told a fencing official before the match that she would not shake hands with Smirnova and was told the blade touch would be acceptable. On Wednesday, a day before their fencing bout, the policy was amended to allow Ukrainian athletes to compete against Russians or Belarusians who agreed to be "neutral" - meaning no flags, no anthems and no public support for the invasion. The Russian fencer's neutrality is put into questionįor months, the Ukrainian government refused to allow its athletes to participate in competitions with players from Russia or Belarus. That day, the International Fencing Federation also allowed Kharlan back to compete in the team event. On Friday, the International Olympic Committee assured Kharlan a spot at the 2024 Olympics. The ruling was met with pushback from both officials in Ukraine and international sports. They could have finished the bout amicably," Elizabeth Earls, executive director of West Berkeley Fencing Club, told NPR. "The Russian fencer did not need to protest that. Kharlan ultimately received a black card, eliminating her from the rest of the tournament. Smirnova stayed at the fencing piste for over 50 minutes to speak to several officials in an apparent protest over the handshake. The two briefly stood still - Kharlan extending her blade, Smirnova keeping her's held back - before Kharlan stormed off. Tapping blades has become an acceptable alternative to shaking hands for many fencers since COVID. But Kharlan, who has been a vocal critic of Russia, shook her head and opted for her sabre. To formally end the bout, Smirnova reached out her hand. On Thursday, Kharlan defeated Smirnova 15-7 in their first round. It also proved just how difficult it can be to disentangle sports and politics on the world stage - a matter that will likely become more serious and urgent as the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris draws near. The face-off and fall-out between Kharlan and Smirnova raised a host of questions about neutrality, the limits of sportsmanship and one of fencing's oldest traditions, the handshake. But after mounting pressure, the International Fencing Federation reversed its decision and allowed Kharlan to return to the tournament. Kharlan was black-carded and disqualified. In an unprecedented series of events, Ukrainian star fencer Olga Kharlan refused to shake hands with her Russian competitor Anna Smirnova after their match at the world championships in Milan. Tensions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine played out this past week on the mats of a fencing match in Italy, putting the spotlight on the purpose and future of one of the sport's traditions.
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