Ukrainian saber fencer Harlan called the actions of the Russian woman a provocation when she refused to shake hands

Ukrainian saber fencer Olga Kharlan believes that her Russian rival Anna Smirnova provoked her while refusing to shake hands at the Fencing World Championships in Milan. According to her, because of the actions of the Russian woman, she had a choice: disqualification or a handshake. The Ukrainian came to terms with the disqualification and was supported by the team.

“I said in an interview that I would not shake hands. There is no mention of a handshake. So I think they saw it and wanted to provoke me. They wanted to do this because the rules emphasize that everyone must shake hands. But they somehow changed, and no one canceled the covid rules until the last moment. Therefore, I think they were ready for this, the installation was like this – it was a direct provocation on their part, ”Harlan told Tribuna.com.

Incident took place at the World Fencing Championships in Milan. Olga Kharlan defeated Anna Smirnova in the 1/32 final with a score of 15:7. After the duel, the Russian woman wanted to approach the Ukrainian woman, but she put her saber forward and did not let her opponent approach her, and then left the track. Smirnova filed a protest and waited 50 minutes for a decision, remaining on the track. The Ukrainian was disqualified because the rules require the opponents to shake hands after the match. The International Fencing Federation later canceled the punishment and Harlan was able to take part in the team competition. The protest of the Russian woman was not satisfied. By information Media, handshakes at fencing competitions will be allowed to be replaced by a greeting from a distance.

Leonid Uvarchev