Harlan disqualified at World Fencing Championships after beating Russian woman

Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan was excluded from the 2023 World Championships in Milan after her victory over Russia's Anna Smirnova. The Olympic champion of Beijing-2008 is not included in the match net in the saber fencing competition.

The official website of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) lists Harlan as an excluded athlete at the tournament. Moreover, Bulgarian saber fencer Yoanna Ilieva is already registered among the participants of the World Cup 1/8 finals.

The reasons for the sanctions against the Ukrainian have not yet been named, but it is obvious that they were adopted after Olga refused to shake Smirnova's hand. The representative of the aggressor country made a real circus, not wanting to leave the track after the defeat, and appealed the result.

The World Cup judges rejected the Russian woman's claim and named Harlan the winner of the duel. However, the FIE management, which was run by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov before the war in Ukraine, decided to punish Olga.

It should be noted that Harlan became the first Ukrainian to fight a representative of the Russian Federation in fencing after the lifting of the ban of the Ministry of Sports on bouts against aggressors. On the eve of the duel with Vadim Anokhin withdrew Igor Reizlin.

As reported OBOZREVATEL, the FIE became the first international federation, which allowed representatives of the Russian Federation and RB to participate in international tournaments.

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