Tarasova called Ukraine’s initiative to abolish handshakes with Russians ridiculous
Honored coach of the USSR in figure skating Tatyana Tarasova appreciated the initiative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to abolish handshakes at tournaments where Russian and Belarusian athletes compete with representatives of the country. Her words are quoted by TASS.
Tarasova called the proposal of the Committee on Youth and Sports of the Rada ridiculous. “You never know what else they will say and come up with anger. As for the ban on shaking hands, it’s even ridiculous to talk about it: you can with some, but you can’t with ours, ”the coach shared her opinion. She expressed doubt that all sports organizations would heed this call.
The Rada issued an appeal to international federations earlier on August 9. It was noted that the initiative is connected with the incident with the Ukrainian saber fencer Olga Kharlan, which occurred at the World Championships in Italy.
On July 27, Harlan met with Russian Anna Smirnova in the 1/32 finals. The Ukrainian, who won, refused to shake hands with her opponent, but the Russian woman decided to wait for the gesture, without which, according to the rules, the fight could not be considered completed. As a result, Smirnova left the site without waiting for the return of Harlan, who was later disqualified.
On July 28, the International Olympic Committee granted Harlan an automatic right to speak at the 2024 Games. Later, the International Fencing Federation announced the cancellation of the suspension of the Ukrainian woman, giving her the opportunity to take part in the team tournament. In addition, the organization has abolished mandatory handshakes after fights.
Source: Lenta
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
