Milan2023 - press conference on 28th July, 2023

And thank you for all, I'd like to introduce Mr. Bruno Gard. President of the French Fencing Federation and also the member of the Executive Committee of the International Fencing Federation. And he's the official representative to our Rules Commission. And we have Helena Bernadotte who's going to help us with translation in English, French and Italian. So again, thank you for being here. I'm going to read a short statement from the FIE that you will all get copies of. They're in French and English. If you need help with them in Italian, we can help you with that. And I'm sure our press team in the press office here, our Italian friends can help you with that as well if you need that. And so I'd like to say that the Bureau of the International Fencing Federation has decided to permit Ukrainian sabre fencer Olga Karlin to participate in the forthcoming Women's Team Sabre Competition at the 2023 Fencing World Championships here in Milan. This extraordinary decision came following an incident involving Karlin who conceded the penalty against her was correct after refusing to shake hands with an AIF opponent. The event occurred at the conclusion of her elimination bout in Women's Individual Sabre on July 27th. The FIE stands fully behind this penalty which, after a very thorough review, is in complete accordance and compliance with its official rules and associated penalties. And I have a short statement from our Interim President, Mr. Emmanuel Kassiadakis, that I will read to you and then I will turn it over to Ms. Karlin. According to Mr. Kassiadakis, we have discussed this issue and decision thoroughly and we have met with Ms. Karlin. Furthermore, and after consultation with the International Olympic Committee, we believe this decision is made in keeping with the Olympic spirit. It also sends a message of sensitivity and understanding to our FIE members and to all sports federations as the world faces tremendous challenges. So I would like to turn it over to Ms. Karlin. She also has a statement in the press release, but if you would like to make a statement. Thank you. The most important for athletes is to be, in my case, really important for my family, for my team, for my country. And during these very difficult days, I will definitely find strength in defense and make the decision to do this. So what I'd like to do now is open up the floor to any questions you may have. And that's why we have Mr. Gowers here. He's the representative to our Rules Commission, so for any technical questions you may have. So if you have any questions for any of us, please, we'll take questions one at a time. We will greet the opponent, we will greet the public, we will greet the referee. So this decision was made thanks to an article that allows the executive offices to be able to apply this rule as soon as possible, during the competition. It allows all athletes to be able to not shake hands, but that doesn't mean that today, we're not allowed to shake hands, because we're a fraternity, and we're all friends. It's a custom, because that's how we are on the ice. We have values. But we're going to modify this, which will also allow us to accompany the future competitions and rallies. I want to thank the President, the Executive Committee, and the Bureau of the FAE. In effect, we have worked to modify Rule No. 122, that allows us to modify the situation in order to allow distant salutation. This was possible thanks to an article that allows the Bureau members, the Executive Committee members, to take this kind of decision. Then, bonification can be active starting from tomorrow, and this will allow the fans to give salutation to the opponent, to the referee, and to the spectators, in keeping the distance. This is important for us, because we are a family, we are all friends, and we have our values. That's how it is in fencing. Thank you. Another question, please. What about the disqualification? Is it confirmed? For how long? One day? Two months? For the individual? The procedure is correct. The black card is just a provisor, suspension provisor. The Bureau, the Executive Committee, was able to come back to a decision, and allow that with the modification of Rule No. 122, since it is a modification, I can modify the text with a new procedure, and so the suspension of Mrs. Carland is one-two. It's quite technical, it's very technical. Which is the motivation? Sorry. Let me translate. So, the procedure was correct. The procedure towards the black card was correct. This is a temporary suspension, thanks to the modification of the Article 3.122. The FI was able to review the decision. It's very technical, but it was possible. Thank you. Did I question another one? Did you have one? No, I think it was the one. Which is the motivation? Any more questions, please? Yes? Since the decision against the black card, the CEO has expressed twice his call to show more sensitivity towards Ukrainian athletes. Has this not been a severe question of the behavior of the FI over the last two days? The CEO showed sensitivity and requested sensitivity, considering the situation. Was the reaction of the FI too severe compared to this appeal to sensitivity? No. The FI and the Comex work every day in the general interest of the athletes. Not to confuse the sports rules and the work that is done in advance so that we can better support all athletes to access the Olympic Games. The rules evolve every day because the situation in the world is complex. Automatically, the work of the FI is done at the same time. We will go straight to the Olympic Games in Paris without any problem. Everyone works hand in hand, which is important for the fraternity today and the qualities of the U.S.A. The other one is the work of the FI Executive Committee. They work in the interest of fencing and fencers. The situation evolves, so the rules have to evolve. The FI works every day to accompany the fencers for the Olympic Games. A question for Olga. My reaction was crying. I couldn't believe it. I was crying a lot. I had my team around me and they cried a lot too. And I called to my family. So it was a lot of crying. It's something unbelievable and thankful for this opportunity, for this chance to be there. Yes, another question for Olga. Is it a good thing that now a handshake is not mandatory for the Olympics? If you or any other Ukrainian sportsman or sportswoman is in the same situation, is it a good thing that the handshake is not mandatory anymore? The word is not good thing in general. This is not good thing. What is going after that, this is just consequences. So what I can say is that this is better to do it that way, while the war is going. This is my opinion. So I think to be on peace with natural hazards is a great respect. The President of the International Federation and the Comex are sensitive to all the values of eskimo. What eskimo conveys, what this sport conveys is brotherhood, friendship, respect for everyone. Our sport is a historical sport with values and values that Karl-Heinz brings. And it is part of this sport. So I would like to applaud the Olympic Committee, the President of the International Federation, the Comex and everyone, because all together we are athletes. And sport must be above politics. Thank you. To conclude, I want to thank the President of the FAE, the Executive Committee, we are all very sensitive to all the values of the fencing, to all the values that fencing conveys. We respect our values. Karl-Heinz represents this value and she is part of our family and of our sport. And I would like that we can applaud Karl-Heinz, the Executive Committee, the IOC and all the people that work to make this possible. I would just like to also say one thing, which is that fencing is one of the oldest Olympic sports. It was in the original 1896 Olympic Games and we have endured more than a century of existence and we continue to grow and thrive. And we have met many challenges through this time and through our sport and through our people and being a global family of fencing. Just like any family, we face challenges but we also find solutions to those challenges and we are committed to that and to our growth in the future. So thank you very much for being here and enjoy the rest of the championships.