The Ukrainian fencing champion banned from the world championships in Italy for refusing to shake hands with a Russian opponent has been readmitted to the tournament and given an automatic place at next year’s Paris Olympics
Olga Kharlan, leader of Ukraine’s national fencing team, was earlier disqualified at the tournament after she refused to shake hands with the Russian rival Anna Smirnova she defeated. Smirnova then walked away before staging a sit-down protest for about 45 minutes. An athlete’s refusal to shake hands after a contest results in a black card and expulsion, according to International Fencing Federation rules.
Responding to the news, Kharlan also thanked Bach for her qualification at the Olympics. “This is the moment when you see no hope, feel unbearable pain and despair, and think you are all alone. And then a whole multi-million country of Heroes stands up for you and changes everything in your life,” she said.
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