MOSCOW, July 31 Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev after the incident with the Ukrainian saber fencer Olga Kharlan, who, contrary to the rules, did not shake hands with the Russian athlete, noted that the rules should not be broken, and ironically recalled that in the Middle Ages they were quartered for this.
«»Here everyone is arguing about how to behave during sports competitions. For example, whether it is necessary to shake hands with rivals. For example, during the World Fencing Championships. I am not familiar with the rules of saber fencers. But you cannot break the rules. In no case In the Middle Ages, they simply chopped off their heads for this. They quartered us. Something like that,» Medvedev wrote in his Telegram channel.
Earlier, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) disqualified Harlan at the World Championships because the athlete did not shake hands with Russian Anna Smirnova after winning the 1/32 finals. According to the FIE rules, the fight is considered incomplete without a handshake. On Friday, the Ukrainian athlete was admitted to the saber team tournament, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted her a license to participate in the 2024 Games as an exception.