Ukraine demanded to disqualify the Russian fencer Smirnova for life for “provocation”

This story has no end. And she’s just growing. Ukrainian Harlan, instead of shaking hands after the fight, poked a saber at Russian Smirnova. What happens next is like in a bad movie. Changing decisions, canceling disqualifications, urgent editing of traditional and embellishing sports rules, inviting a Ukrainian to the Olympic Games even if she does not score qualifying points. And the endless demands of Ukraine, up to the fact that it is necessary to disqualify the Russian woman for life, and the judge at the same time, who punished her opponent. How to fight?

If this were a special case, then maybe it would not be worth such long-playing attention. But, starting in early spring, as soon as the IOC gave new recommendations to international federations on the admission of our athletes to international starts in a neutral status, we followed the fate of the fencers. It was they who became the pioneers: the international federation was the first to allow the admission of Russia and showed in practice how tough and unpredictable it can be.

We recall the scandal: in the 1/32 finals of the World Fencing Championship in Milan, Ukrainian Olga Kharlan defeated Russian Anna Smirnova. After the end of the fight, Smirnova approached her opponent to shake hands, but she pointed her saber in her direction, then left. Smirnova waited for her return to complete the fight by the rules for an hour on a chair that the organizers brought her. Our side filed a protest for violation of the regulations, which was rejected.

The International Fencing Federation disqualified the Ukrainian athlete for non-compliance with the rules. The IOC very quickly said its word, stating that it was necessary to “be more sensitive to situations related to Ukrainian and neutral athletes.” FIE just as quickly canceled Harlan’s 60-day suspension, she had already competed in team competitions. And then the international federation got into the tradition altogether: it decided to cancel the rule on the obligatory handshake of fencers at the end of the fight.

And then, in response to a letter from the Ukrainian side regarding Harlan’s Olympic qualification, Thomas Bach wrote his own caring one: “Given your unique situation, the IOC will allocate an additional quota for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris if you cannot qualify in the remaining time . We are also making this unique exception because ongoing proceedings do nothing to compensate for the qualifying points forfeited due to a suspension.”

Olga Harlan is a famous sportswoman. It is probably impossible to count how many hands she shook after the fight. She won an Olympic gold medal back in Beijing 2008, a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro in the saber team tournament, took away personal bronze in London 2012 and Rio 2016. She has 6 gold, 7 silver and 2 bronze medals of the world championships. Materaya.

After the disqualification and its rapid cancellation, she said a lot of things. Every day she got stronger and stronger. Although there was a confusion of explanations: she recalled how she said in some interview that she would not shake hands with Russian women, and this, they say, means they were warned. And what happened “was a direct provocation on their part.” She immediately recalled that “no one canceled the covid rules until the last moment.”

The voice of the officials grew stronger with every minute. Now the Fencing Federation of Ukraine demands the resignation of the referee of the fight and a life-long disqualification of Smirnova, who “committed a provocative act contrary to the Olympic spirit.”

The whole Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine wants the same. Its Youth and Sports Committee adopted a draft appeal to the International Olympic Committee and the International Fencing Federation on this issue. The Verkhovna Rada not only absolutely supports Harlan’s act, but also calls on the international federation to “officially apologize to her, as well as hold accountable all those involved in the decision to disqualify.”

Before the FIE danced from side to side, one could shrug and grunt in accordance with common sense: well, demand, the paper will endure everything. You can even ask the IOC to come and wash the floors. But after what happened, you don’t know who will be the last to chuckle.

ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov, a four-time Olympic champion in fencing, believes that we have clearly shown the attitude that absolutely any Russian will face in international competitions after all the eliminations on a national basis. “Anna Smirnova experienced it herself, and, to our great regret, this is the new objective reality. It justifies and encourages any anti-Russian demarches, but for everything else there are concerns, recommendations and sanctions.”

In this reality, we really have to live. But also fight for yourself. I do not want to say this at all, but the methods of conducting disputes of Ukrainian sports functionaries are very successful so far.

Yes, we have always been for sports, traditional rules and their observance. And “to live with wolves, to howl like wolves” has always been not for us. But looking for ways to protect the entire sport and the honor of every athlete is urgently needed. And very quickly respond to blows and injections – too.

Other federations are watching the pioneer that fencing has become with all their eyes. And draw conclusions. They are not in our favor, despite the seemingly obvious situation. Such that Eric Reste, a member of the board of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, has already voiced: the IOC recommendations on the admission of Russians only confused everyone. “We see that the IOC decision is creating a lot of chaos.”