Ukrainian fencer won't shake hands with Russian at world championships, gets Olympic spot

Tension in the sports world triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine played out this week at the fencing world championships in Milan, Italy.

Olga Kharlan, a four-time Olympic medalist from Ukraine, on Thursday was disqualified after she refused to shake hands with her Russian opponent she had just defeated in a first-round contest.

Anna Smirnova, a Russian fencer competing with neutral status, extended her hand. Kharlan, in turn, extended her saber blade.

A match does not end until the opponents shake hands, according to international rules, although the head of the Ukrainian fencing team argued COVID rules still in place allowed players to touch weapons instead of shaking hands. Officials upheld the disqualification and, according to a New York Times report, Ukrainian political officials condemned the decision and insisted it stemmed from the refusal to shake hands.

The disqualification threatened to jeopardize Kharlan’s chances of qualifying for a spot in the Olympics because she lost the opportunity to earn qualifying points at the world championships.

But Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, intervened.

On Friday, Bach said he was creating a spot in the 2024 Olympics for Kharlan, 32. In the team competition, Kharlan won Olympic gold in 2008 and a silver medal in 2016, and in individual competition won bronze in 2012 and 2016.

“As a fellow fencer, it’s impossible for me to imagine how you feel at this moment,’’ wrote Bach, who won a gold medal in fencing for Germany. “The war against your country, the suffering of the people in Ukraine, the uncertainly around your participation at the Fencing World Championships in Milan, the difficult inner conflicts you and many of your Ukrainian athletes may have and then the events which unfolded yesterday – all of this is a roller coaster of emotions and feelings.’’

Given the situation, Bach wrote, the IOC will allocate an additional place for her in the 2024 Paris Games “in case you will not be able to qualify in the remaining period.’’

In a post on Instagram, Kharlan thanked Bach and “every organization in my lovely Ukraine who stood by me!’’

“Tens of thousands of incredible Ukrainians who with words of support and their crazy pressure, did what happened now…”

Subsequently, Kharlan was reinstated to the world championships and will be allowed to participate in the team competition, according to the International Fencing Federation.

“Rest assured that the IOC will continue to stand in full solidarity with the Ukrainian athletes and the Olympic community of Ukraine during these extremely difficult times,’’ Bach wrote.