The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has called on sports federations to be sensitive when holding tournaments between Ukrainian athletes and Russians who act as neutral athletes. This was the IOC's response to the disqualification of Ukrainian fencer Olga Harlan from the World Fencing Championships.

The IOC also commented on Ukraine's decision to allow athletes to participate in international competitions.

"We are pleased that they will be given this opportunity, but at the same time we are aware of the severe internal conflicts they may face in view of the aggression against their country. We therefore call on international federations to treat situations involving Ukrainians and individual neutral athletes with the necessary degree of sensitivity," AFP quoted the IOC as saying.

The International Olympic Committee also added that they "remain in full solidarity with Ukrainian athletes and the Olympic community of Ukraine".

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the famous Ukrainian fencer Olha Harlan defeated Russian Anna Smirnova in the round of 32 of the 2023 World Cup in Milan. After the fight, our compatriot refused to shake hands with her opponent, who staged a real circus by refusing to leave the track. The Russian representative lodged a protest against the result of the duel, which was rejected.

The propagandist TV channel Match TV published a photo of the denunciation that Anna Smirnova had written against Olga, and Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matitsyn called the FIE's decision to punish the Olympic champion from Mykolaiv the right one.

Smirnova herself is not a "neutral" athlete, as required by the competition regulations. Smirnova's brother is a military officer, and she is very proud of him, as can be seen from their joint photos.

The Ukrainian Fencing Federation is preparing a protest. However, the appeal will not be considered immediately, which means that the Beijing 2008 gold medallist will not be able to continue competing in the individual events at the tournament.

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