Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan openly told Russian Anna Smirnova that she would not shake hands with her after the fight at the 2023 World Championships in Milan. At the same time, it came as a surprise to our compatriot that the representative of the aggressor country was disqualified for this step.

This was reported by the Russian Telegram channel Baza. According to the channel, "Kharlan said only one phrase to Smirnova right on the court: "I will not shake your hand". However, the Russian decided to pretend to be the victim of a provocation and staged a real circus - she refused to leave the track and sat right on the chairs on it. Later, Olga's rival lodged a protest against the outcome of the fight and demanded that the Ukrainian be punished.

After that, the leaders of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) decided to exclude Kharlan from the tournament. "After learning about the judge's decision, she 'sat and cried' in the sidelines, and then had a 'real hysteria'. Kharlan then went to the box with Smirnova herself and asked, 'Why did you do that? According to eyewitnesses, the saber fencers themselves and their teammates did not conflict or insult each other in any way," the source said.

It is worth noting that Smirnova does not meet the criteria of a neutral athlete, openly supporting the Russian Armed Forces. The Ukrainian Fencing Federation has stood up for Kharlan and is preparing to appeal her disqualification. Our sabre fencer herself said that she was simply killed by the decision to exclude her from the tournament. She also said that she would not take part in the team tournament.

For his part, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matitsyn said that Kharlan had crossed all boundaries by refusing to welcome her rival from the aggressor country. And the president of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of showing "sensitivity and delicacy" to the Ukrainian woman.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, MP and Olympic wrestling champion Zhan Beleniuk said that Kharlan and the International Fencing Federation (FIE) had initially agreed to a deal that provided for a refusal to shake hands with the Russian. Later, the head coach of the Ukrainian national fencing team, Natalia Konrad, explained what actually happened to Kharlan.

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