Olha Kharlan disqualified from World Fencing Championships for not shaking hands with Russian

Eurosport journalist Marco Arcari reported this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

Kharlan defeated Russian Anna Smirnova (15:7) at the start of the tournament and did not shake her hand. Smirnova lodged a protest against Kharlan for lack of "respect" and stayed on the track for more than 50 minutes after the match, but the judges did not change their decision and Olha advanced to the next round.

Now, the competition grid indicates that Bulgarian Yoana Ilieva, who was supposed to compete with the Ukrainian, automatically qualified for the next round.

According to the FIE rules, "exclusion" means disqualification from the competition and a 60-day suspension from all further competitions. Thus, Olha will have to miss the team fencing tournament as well.

Photo: Getty Images