Russia-Ukraine conflict: IOC has 'picked a side' after Ukrainian fencer disqualified, says president of Russia's Olympic Committee

Ukraine's Olga Kharlan offered her sabre erstwhile Russian Anna Smirnova approached for a handshake

The International Olympic Committee has "picked a side" successful the Russia-Ukraine conflict, says the president of Russia's Olympic Committee.

The IOC responded by encouraging sports federations to grip Ukrainian athletes with sensitivity.

But Stanislav Pozdnyakov feels the IOC proposal "clearly showed duplicity".

"The connection successful question indicates that the IOC determined for itself and picked a broadside successful the governmental conflict, [and] began to enactment successful the interests of this side," helium said connected Telegram.

The erstwhile Olympic fencing champion added that the remarks "clearly showed the duplicity of the alleged recommendations, criteria and parameters".

"Now we person been involuntarily but intelligibly shown the cognition which perfectly immoderate Russian volition look astatine planetary competitions.

"Olympism is officially being made a instrumentality controlled from the extracurricular successful the interests of a geopolitical bid to neutralise our citizens and organisation successful sports."

After Russia launched a full-scale penetration of Ukraine, the IOC imposed sporting sanctions connected Russia and its state Belarus but earlier this twelvemonth recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes could vie arsenic individuals nether a neutral emblem and with nary anthem.

Kharlan became the archetypal fencer to look a Russian oregon Belarusian since the penetration and, aft beating Smirnova 15-7 successful Milan, offered her sabre to pat blades alternatively of shaking hands.

Smirnova past staged a 45-minute sit-down protest, resulting successful Kharlan, a four-time idiosyncratic satellite champion and four-time Olympic medallist, being shown a achromatic card.

That ruled her retired of the squad contention arsenic good arsenic the women's sabre idiosyncratic event.

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The Ukraine sports ministry has reversed its determination not to let Ukrainian athletes to compete successful qualifying events for the 2024 Olympics if Russians are taking part.

"We are gladsome that they volition beryllium fixed this opportunity, and astatine the aforesaid clip we are alert of the hard interior conflicts they whitethorn have, fixed the aggression against their country," the IOC said successful a connection it reiterated aft Pozdnyakov's comments.

"Therefore, we promote planetary federations to grip situations involving Ukrainian and idiosyncratic neutral athletes with the indispensable grade of sensitivity.

"We proceed to basal successful afloat solidarity with the Ukrainian athletes and the Olympic assemblage of Ukraine."

Kharlan, 32, followed the illustration of Ukrainian tennis players such arsenic Elina Svitolina by not shaking hands with Russian oregon Belarusian opponents, but International Fencing Federation (FIE) rules authorities that fencers indispensable shingle hands.

She claimed that FIE president Emmanuel Katsiadakis had assured her that it was "possible" not to shingle hands and connection a interaction of her leaf instead.

"I thought I had his word, to beryllium safe, but apparently, no," Kharlan added.