Ukrainian fencer Olha Kharlan was still disqualified from the World Championship. This happened after the Ukrainian refused to shake the hand of her Russian rival Anna Smirnova.
This was reported by Eurosport journalist Marco Arcari, Tribuna writes.
Kharlan defeated Smirnova 15:7, but did not shake the Russianʼs hand after the match. According to the rules of the FIE, the athlete faces disqualification for this.
According to the data on the scoreboard, the Ukrainian athlete advanced to the next round and was supposed to meet the fencer from Bulgaria Ioana Iliyeva, but the fight did not take place. Ilieva was recognized as the winner automatically.
- 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.