Fencing enters Olympics amid accusations, referee suspensions

Just when it seemed like these Olympics couldn’t get any more scandalous, between poison in the pool and security concerns, the fencing events begin this weekend.

Fencing, which has been on the program since the 1896 Summer Games, which marked the beginning of the modern Olympics, is a sport where old traditions meet new technology. Referees call “en garde” before a sword fight, and points are kept electronically to keep pace with the steel blows that will make you miss every single blow. The rules of engagement are complicated, and it’s up to the referee to determine which blows are legal. That leaves a lot of room for interpretation. And, as some would have us believe, corruption.

This summer’s Olympics will be held in the gilded splendor of the Palace of Versailles, but American fencing has been plagued by allegations about officiating. Two months ago, USA Fencing suspended two referees after they admitted to communicating with each other at an Olympic qualifying tournament in California (they denied manipulating the results in any way); the men, Jacobo Morales and Brandon Romo, were suspended for nine months after accusations emerged that they rigged the outcome of a match involving Tatiana Nazlymov, a Princeton student competing in sabre—the sabre in which the fighters throw themselves at each other as if fired from a cannon to draw first blood. USA Fencing had sought a 10-year ban for the men but ultimately opted for a lesser sentence after a disciplinary panel found that the evidence against both, while compelling, did not prove collusion or manipulation. In a statement, the U.S. fencers said the sentence was not harsh enough and “undermines the ethics of the sport and any athlete who strives to succeed on the basis of fair play.”

USA Fencing has accused two other referees, Yevgeniy Dyaokokin of Kazakhstan and Vasil Milenchev of Bulgaria, of making decisions in favor of Nazlymov and another American named Mitchell Saron, a star on the Harvard sabre team. In that case, the federation said the video evidence was much stronger. Among other things, USA Fencing has asked the sport’s world governing body, the International Fencing Federation, to have Dyaokokin and Milenchev no longer be assigned to matches involving American fencers. USA Fencing told The New York Times that it understood an investigation had taken place but was unsure of the results and that Dyaokokin and Milenchev were still working as referees. Dyaokokin and Milenchev have not publicly commented on the allegations.

In December, USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews wrote directly to Nazlymov and Saron warning them that the federation was “in possession of data that shows, more than likely, that preferential decisions were being made by two particular referees in international competitions,” while emphasizing the “statistically improbable amount” of success they were enjoying as a result. The New York Times reviewed several versions of Andrews’ letter and reported that an early version threatened to strip them of Olympic qualifying points if “strong evidence” of match-fixing emerged.

It appears that no such evidence was provided, and the final version took a more cautious approach. USA Fencing told both men that it had “no reason at this time to believe that you are personally responsible for, or even aware of, these actions taken by others to further your international performance.” What could have been a warning shot turned out to be nothing more than a courtesy call “to formally notify you that we are aware of this alleged manipulation.” With few other obstacles in their way, Nazlymov and Saron have secured their ticket to Paris 2024. It seems that if the United States’ medal hopes come down to Nazlymov or Saron in a bout under the direction of Dyaokokin or Milenchev, both of whom are listed as referees for Paris, the internet rumors will intensify, even though there is no evidence of anything untoward.

Fencing can’t preside over the Olympics without controversy. Last cycle, their biggest problem was Alen Hadzic, a fencer who was under investigation for sexual misconduct allegations dating back 10 years. Six female fencers wrote to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee in hopes of having him banned from the Tokyo Games, but were told that the final decision rested with SafeSport, the body charged with monitoring sexual abuse allegations in U.S. Olympic sports. The “compromise” was to send Hadzic to Tokyo anyway, but to house him away from his teammates in the Olympic Village, at a hotel 25 minutes away. As a result, three of his male teammates further ostracized him by wearing pink masks in support of sexual assault survivors. SafeSport ultimately banned Hadzic from fencing permanently. He was never criminally prosecuted for these allegations.

Meanwhile, USA Fencing claims its hands are tied. Fencing lacks the resources of the more traditional U.S. Olympic sports and, it seems, the support of its sister federations to address complaints about integrity issues that, if Reddit threads on the subject are any indication, are even worse outside the United States. In a tight-knit, elite-favored sport where the rules are as flexible as a foil blade, it makes sense that some would think there are people in this hyper-ambitious group who would bend the rules to get by at Versailles. Still, those familiar with the palace’s history would do well to remember what happened when those elites got arrogant.

USA Fencing’s accusations of cheating have been largely supported by witness testimony. After the findings were released in April, “some members of the U.S. fencing team” called on their federation to do more to protect a sport they consider “vulnerable to unfair refereeing and match-fixing.”

The revolution is coming. Fencing is officially on guard.