Ukrainian Olena Kryvytska refused to say goodbye to her Russian opponent Maya Guchmasova at the European Fencing Championships in Basel. The 32-year-old épée specialist, who competes for Georgia, then complained: “Damn it, why are they (the Ukrainians) allowed to do anything, have they completely lost their minds?”
In the round of 64, the 37-year-old Ukrainian beat Guchmasova 15:9. Guchmasova has been competing for Georgia since 2017. Kryvytsya was born in Russia herself. After a win against Alexandra Ehler, Olena Kryvytsya lost in the round of 16 to Estonian Irina Embrich.
At the Fencing World Championships last year, sabre fencer Olha Charlan from Ukraine was initially disqualified after refusing to shake hands with Russian Anna Smirnova. The International Fencing Federation (FIE) lifted her disqualification a short time later.
In addition, the controversial handshake rule was abolished. It was replaced by a greeting gesture with weapons. “As the world faces major and important challenges, the FIE is adapting the rules in the general interest of athletes and federations, while also respecting our sport,” a federation spokesman quoted FIE Executive Committee member Bruno Gares as saying in the statement at the time.
The disqualification of four-time team world champion Charlan caused great international outrage in light of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Charlan was the first Ukrainian athlete ever to compete against a Russian athlete in a competition – outside of tennis – since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian presidency called the athlete’s disqualification “shameful”.