Russian athlete wins fencing world title
(MENAFN) Russian fencer Yana Egorian, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, claimed the gold medal in sabre at the World Fencing Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. Competing as a neutral athlete due to ongoing international restrictions against Russian sports figures, Egorian triumphed over Poland’s Zuzanna Cieslar in the final match on Sunday. After her victory, she told Match TV, “Russia, this is for you!”
Her participation — along with other Russian athletes — sparked protests outside the Olympic Arena, where demonstrators waving Ukrainian and Georgian flags accused the organizers of enabling representatives of Russia’s military sports clubs, such as CSKA. Protesters burned a Russian flag, lit firecrackers near the team's hotel, and displayed anti-Russian banners.
The Russian Interests Section at the Swiss embassy in Georgia condemned the actions as “Russophobic provocations” aimed at harming Georgia’s reputation as an international host.
Egorian, 31, was recently cleared to compete under neutral status, making this her first international competition since the 2019 World Championships. In addition to Egorian’s gold, Russian fencer Kirill Borodachev and the Russian women’s sabre team secured silver medals.
Ukrainian athletes Vlada Kharkova and Alina Komashchuk refused to join a group photo with Egorian and Borodachev during the medal ceremony. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s 2024 Olympic sabre champion Olga Kharlan, who did not attend the tournament, had earlier demanded tougher restrictions on Russian “neutral” athletes. Her open letter, reportedly signed by 447 fencers, reignited debate around Russia’s presence in international sports. Kharlan herself was disqualified in 2023 for refusing to shake hands with Russian opponent Anna Smirnova.
The Kremlin has consistently denounced restrictions on its athletes. President Vladimir Putin labeled them as discriminatory and a violation of the Olympic Charter's ban on politicizing sport.
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