Mammadov said about the senselessness of the participation of fencers in international tournaments
The head of the Russian Fencing Federation (FFR) Ilgar Mammadov spoke about the participation of domestic athletes in international tournaments. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.
Mammadov said that it makes no sense for Russians to go to competitions abroad until the situation in the world normalizes. He recalled the incident between Russian Anna Smirnova and Ukrainian Olga Harlan at the World Championships and noted that he had foreseen such a development of the situation.
“Today there was such a scandal that showed that there are no international rules, and tomorrow, God forbid, something worse will happen – physical violence, for example. There is no way to protect them from a distance,” Mammadov added. He said that initially he was against the participation of Russians in the World Championship, but the International Federation insisted on this, which allowed fencers in a neutral status.
On July 27, Smirnova and Harlan met in the 1/32 finals of the World Championship. 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 canceled mandatory handshakes after fights.
On September 6, Mammadov announced that Russian fencers had lost their chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
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.
