Ukrainian sabre fencer Olga Kharlan said that Russian athletes should not participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, even if it is neutral. Her words were quoted by the publication Marca.
“Of course it worries me. I don’t think representatives from this country should be here. A lot of people didn’t come from there and fortunately no one is involved in fencing and that’s a big victory for us,” Harlan said.
Harlan won two medals at the Paris Olympics – one in the individual championship, bronze, and the second in the national team, gold. In the final, the Ukrainians achieved a score of 45:42, outperforming the representatives of South Korea.
On July 29, Harlan hugged Russian-born Anna Bashta, who represented Azerbaijan, after a fight. The Ukrainian athlete won with a score of 15:6. Bashta is a native of the city of Togliatti. She competed for Russia until 2019, when she changed national teams and began competing under the Azerbaijani flag.
Having removed Russia and Belarus in February 2022 due to the start of the SVO at the end of 2023, the International Olympic Committee decided to accept Russians and Belarusians as neutral athletes for the 2024 Olympic Games. In order to participate, they had to fulfill a number of conditions and qualify.
Previously an American athlete criticized Quality of Olympic Games medals – 2024.
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Source: Gazeta
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.