Ukrainian fencer Olha Kharlan refused to shake the hand of her Russian rival Anna Smirnova.
Harlan defeated Smirnova at the world championship with a score of 15:7.
According to FIE rules, the athlete could be disqualified for refusing to shake hands. The Russian woman waited on the track for the judgesʼ decision for 50 minutes. But they did not change the decision and Kharlan went to the next round.
- On March 31, the government of Ukraine decided that Ukrainian athletes will not participate in tournaments where Russians and Belarusians will compete. The International Olympic Committee criticized the decision of the Ukrainian government.
- On July 26, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine published a new order, which allowed Ukrainian athletes to compete in international competitions with Russians and Belarusians. But there are conditions — representatives of the aggressor country and its satellite must compete under a neutral flag, not use national symbols and not demonstrate belonging to their countries.