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  1. #211
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    Alexander Massialas

    Sad to hear this. Greg was on the SJSU team one generation before me.

    Olympic dream derailed: Stanford fencer Massialas spends days in COVID isolation, loses 1st match
    Ann Killion
    Updated: July 25, 2021 11:03 p.m.

    San Francisco fencer Alexander Massialas lost his first Olympic match Monday, ending his dreams of adding another Olympic medal to his collection and continuing a nightmarish week due to COVID-19 protocols.
    Massialas spent the past eight days quarantined in a hotel, apart from his teammates in the Olympic village. He was placed into contact tracing due to being seated on his flight to Japan near beach volleyball player Taylor Crabb, who tested positive for COVID-19 and had to withdraw from the Games last week.
    Crabb, who said he is vaccinated, has remained in quarantine at his hotel.
    Massialas, who is vaccinated and continues to test negative, was quarantined completely for three days and then allowed to only do certain kinds of limited training, but not be near any of his teammates.
    “I’m obviously really disappointed,” said Massialas by Facetime after his loss to Germany’s Peter Joppich. “I’ve been trying to stay positive and make the best of a bad situation.”
    But his father Greg, a former Olympic fencer, and a coach for the fencing team, thinks the week took its toll on his son.
    “He’s been locked up in isolation and I think it got to him,” Greg said.
    The ordeal started after Massialas landed in Tokyo and was held for 12 hours at the airport. He was taken to a quarantine hotel and stayed there for three days. Then he was transferred to another hotel, where more of Team USA is staying, but remained under strict protocols.
    The three-time Olympian, who won a silver individual medal and a bronze team medal in Rio, spent much of the week wondering if he would be able to compete at all. He finally received clearance to compete in his foil match on Monday a few days ago. But he was unable to train with his teammates.
    After the disappointment, he is looking toward Sunday’s team competition. He hopes by then, he will have been cleared to move into the village.
    “Everyone’s flying blind - there’s not a lot of clarity,” Massialas said. “But the best athletes have the shortest memories. I’ll take some time to be upset and sad but then I’ll look forward to winning gold with my teammates.”
    Massialas qualified for Tokyo several weeks before the Games were postponed. He spent 2020 training in his parents’ San Francisco home and working to save Stanford sports, including fencing. He was a key member of “36 Sports Strong” the Stanford alumni group that successfully fought to overturn the university’s decision to drop 11 sports.
    Ranked fifth in the world, Massialas had hopes for gold at his third Olympics. He also looked forward to sharing the experience with his younger sister Sabrina, who is on her first Olympic team. He had hoped to walk in opening ceremonies with her and hang out in the village. Instead, Monday was the first time he saw her.
    “I’m trying to get her to enjoy the moment, because this is something she’s dreamed of for a long time,” Massialas said. “Sometimes life throws something at you that you didn’t expect.”
    Though Crabb was vaccinated and is apparently a breakthrough case, Massialas wishes that all his teammates were vaccinated because he’s an example of exactly what’s at risk. Close to 100 U.S. Olympians are unvaccinated, according to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. All are rolling the dice with not only their own Olympic dreams but those of their teammates.
    “It’s definitely perplexing,” said Massialas, who added that the entire fencing team is vaccinated. “I like to think about my teammates and whether or not I’m putting them in a dangerous situation. I don’t want to hurt them in any way.”
    Massialas’ five-year dream was derailed by the seat he was assigned on an airplane.
    “Sometimes you get unlucky in life,” he said. “But at least I got to compete. And I will try to help my team win.”
    Massialas’ teammate Gerek Meinhardt, another San Francisco native, also lost his first match on Monday. His potential pre-match distraction was for a far happier reason than Massialas. His wife Lee Kiefer won gold in individual foil on Sunday. The married fencers are both in medical school at the University of Kentucky.
    “I think he had a really emotional, wonderful day and was a little bit drained,” said Greg Massialas.
    The men’s team event will take place on August 1.

    Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.comTwitter: @annkillion
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    Quote Originally Posted by YinOrYan View Post
    Uh, can you point me some good examples??? If so, beach volleyball dresscode is the next level, then the Americans may score better with all the young judges, since older experienced judges are not allowed for wushu, ha ha
    srsly? Have you watched any world competition Wushu in the last half decade? It's not quite as sequined and embroidered as ice skaters yet, but it's aspiring to be so. It's definitely moving that direction.
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  2. #212
    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    srsly? Have you watched any world competition Wushu in the last half decade? It's not quite as sequined and embroidered as ice skaters yet, but it's aspiring to be so. It's definitely moving that direction.
    No I have not seen any Wushu in mini-skirts and bare midriffs. Like that girl-group out of Vegas that would do kung fu demos to the latest dance tunes. Do you remember the Violent Femmes?

  3. #213
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    Alex Hadzic

    US fencers wear pink masks after teammate accused of sexual misconduct
    Fencing team reportedly object to teammate’s place on team
    Alen Hadzic denies allegations against him

    The US men’s épée team lost to Japan on Friday. Photograph: Hassan Ammar/AP
    Guardian sport
    Fri 30 Jul 2021 10.41 EDT

    Three members of the United States Olympic men’s épée team wore pink masks on Friday amid allegations their teammate is guilty of sexual misconduct.

    Jake Hoyle, Curtis McDowald and Yeisser Ramirez all wore pink facemasks before the start of the competition. Alex Hadzic, who has been accused of sexual assault, was the only member of the team who did not.

    Hadzic qualified for the Tokyo Games in May. Shortly afterwards, three women accused him of sexual impropriety in incidents that occurred from 2013 to 2015. Hadzic’s attorney, Michael Palma, told the New York Times the fencer was innocent of all allegations. He did confirm that Hadzic was suspended from Columbia University for the 2013-14 school year after an investigation involving sexual consent.

    In the wake of the allegations, the US Center for SafeSport suspended the 29-year-old from all fencing activities on 2 June. Hadzic appealed that suspension and won. The arbitrator ruled Hadzic should not contact his accusers while saying his suspension had been “inappropriate to the allegations”. However, he travelled to Tokyo separately from his teammates and had to stay in a hotel away from the athletes’ village.

    While Hoyle, McDowald and Ramirez’s facemasks were an apparent rebuke of Hadzic they did not comment verbally on the matter on Friday. One of Hadzic’s teammates, Katharine Holmes, says she collected electronic signatures from every member of the fencing team objecting to Hadzic’s inclusion at the Olympics. Palma has distributed a letter of objection from Holmes, which includes only her written signature.

    Hadzic was an alternate on the US team and did not compete. The US men’s épée team lost to Japan on Friday, ending their Olympic campaign.
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  4. #214
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    Bare midriffs & miniskirts would be cool...

    Quote Originally Posted by YinOrYan View Post
    No I have not seen any Wushu in mini-skirts and bare midriffs. Like that girl-group out of Vegas that would do kung fu demos to the latest dance tunes. Do you remember the Violent Femmes?
    Fair. I was referring to the sequins and embroidery. Sequins on Kung Fu uniforms? Srsly? It's not as bad as some of the outfits worn at Sport Karate tournaments...yet.
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  5. #215
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    RIP Coach Buckie Leach

    I didn't know Coach Leach but I knew of him. My friends in the fencing circles have been posting memorials - they're shocked and heartbroken.

    Olympic Team Coach Buckie Leach Passes Away
    08/15/2021, 6:15PM CDTBY NICOLE JOMANTAS


    Coach Buckie Leach at the 2019 Senior World Championships with Nzingha Prescod, Jackie Dubrovich, Nicole Prescod and Lee Kiefer after the team's bronze medal win.

    Five-time Olympic Coach Buckie Leach.
    (Colorado Springs, Colo.) – USA Fencing is heartbroken at the loss of Anthony “Buckie” Leach (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) – one of the sport’s longtime Olympic coaches who led the U.S. Women’s Foil Team at the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

    A 2013 inductee into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame, Leach passed away on Saturday night at the age of 62 following a motorcycle accident on a cross-country road trip after his return from the Tokyo Olympic Games.

    Leach is credited with building the U.S. Women’s Foil Team’s success over nearly 30 years, including four medals at the Senior World Team Championships, including the squad’s first Senior World title in 2018. He also coached more than a half dozen personal students to Olympic berths as well as foil fencers to Senior, Junior and Cadet World titles.

    Leach’s students reached new heights in any weapon for USA Fencing during the 1990s when Iris Zimmermann (Rochester, N.Y.) became the first U.S. fencer to win a Cadet World Championship in any weapon, taking gold at age 14 in 1995, followed by a Junior World title in 1999 and earning the first medal at the Senior World Championships for a U.S. fencer in any weapon with a bronze medal the same year. Zimmermann’s older sister, Felicia Zimmermann (Rochester, N.Y.), became the first U.S. woman to win the Overall Junior World Cup title and went on to compete in two Olympic Games, making her debut in 1996 and competing with Iris in 2000. Ann Marsh-Senic (Royal Oak, Mich.) earned a seventh-place finish at the 1996 Games with her Atlanta Games teammate, Suzie Paxton (Brooklyn, N.Y.), rising to a top-eight world ranking during her career.

    In 2000, Leach coached Team USA to a fourth-place finish at the Sydney Olympic Games, missing bronze by just two touches. The U.S. Women’s Foil Team avenged the loss in 2001, winning bronze with an all-star lineup that included the Zimmermanns as well as Marsh-Senic and Erinn Smart (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who would go on to win silver with Team USA at the 2008 Games.

    A coach at the Fencers Club from 2001-2016, Leach’s personal students also included two-time Olympian Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who won gold at the 2011 Junior World Championships and became the first Black woman to win an individual medal at the Senior World Championships with her bronze in 2015.

    The U.S. Women’s Foil Team had its most successful quadrennium in history from 2017-21, earning three straight medals at the Senior World Championships, including gold in 2018, silver in 2017 and bronze in 2018. Last month, the squad narrowly missed the podium with Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Ky.), Sabrina Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.), Nicole Ross (New York City, N.Y.) and Jackie Dubrovich (Riverdale, N.J.) placing fourth at the Tokyo Games.

    After coaching his fourth Olympic Games in 2016, Leach joined the Notre Dame coaching staff beginning in the 2016-17 season. During his five seasons as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, Leach’s students won 12 individual medals at NCAAs, including five out of 10 possible gold medals in the individual foil events, with the Fighting Irish winning the team titles in 2017, 2018 and 2021. Among the athletes Leach coached in South Bend were U.S. Olympic Fencing Team members Kiefer, Massialas and Nick Itkin (Los Angeles, Calif.) Kiefer, who won Team USA’s first-ever Olympic title in women’s foil just three weeks ago, won four straight NCAA titles for Notre Dame with her final gold coming in 2017. Itkin claimed back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 and earned bronze in Tokyo with the men’s foil squad. Massialas won silver at the 2018 NCAAs and competed in the women’s foil team event in Tokyo. Two-time NCAA individual medalist Amita Berthier also made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, competing for Singapore.
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  6. #216
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    The horse should get the medals

    Cruel and random modern pentathlon should replace horses with climbing
    The current format does not do athletes or animals justice. Replacing showjumping with climbing would be a solution


    Annika Schleu struggles to control Saint Boy during the showjumping event at the Tokyo 2020 modern pentathlon. Photograph: Iván Alvarado/Reuters
    Beau Dure
    Wed 18 Aug 2021 05.00 EDT

    Imagine training for countless hours for many years to reach the Olympics in rowing. You’re slotted into the pairs event. One hitch – your partner will be determined by random draw. You look over and see one of your rivals paired up with a world champion. Your partner, on the other hand, isn’t sure which end of the oar goes in the water.

    Perhaps the equestrian phase of the modern pentathlon, in which athletes are assigned mounts by draw from a pool of horses, isn’t quite so extreme. The horses should all be able to jump over things, at least, so organizers aren’t just borrowing animals from any family that likes to ride around a bit. They just haven’t had much time to bond with the athletes who are randomly assigned to them after they’ve finished fencing and swimming.

    But the disparity in allocated horses is vivid. In 2008, young American pentathlete Margaux Isaksen kissed her horse after a solid ride in Beijing. In Tokyo, coach Kim Raisner punched a horse that had brought German athlete Annika Schleu to tears as battled to control the animal, knowing she was about to fall from first to 31st.

    It wasn’t quite Mongo in Blazing Saddles, but the whipping and punching were certainly enough to make Peta call for modern pentathlon to leave things up to the humans rather than bringing in animals who never signed up for this.

    Even without the animal-rights aspects, show jumping is an odd fit for a multidisciplinary test of athletic prowess. Schleu is perfectly capable of riding other horses, as she has shown in a stellar international career. She had a nearly perfect ride when she took silver in the 2018 modern pentathlon world championships and again a few months ago when she finished fourth in this year’s worlds. But in the Olympics, she was stuck with a horse who was having none of it, and her medal hopes went down the drain.

    Fellow German Isabell Werth, a seven-time Olympic champion in the horse-specific event of dressage, has seen enough of the animals in modern pentathlon. “You could just as easily give them a bike or a scooter,” Werth told German news agency SID.

    Scooters in particular seem unlikely to be added, but modern pentathlon’s efforts to modernize are ongoing. As recently as 1992, the event took place over five days. In 2012, the sport combined the shooting and running, mimicking biathlon. This year, the bulk of the fencing was done separately, but the swimming, a fencing bonus round, the riding and the laser run were all conducted in Tokyo Stadium, which also hosted some soccer and rugby during the Games.

    It’s a pity fans weren’t allowed in to see a truly unique competition that included the construction of an outdoor short-course pool, but it was also a bit artificial. Fans who turned up to the stadium would not have seen the fencing “ranking round,” which in the women’s competition had already separated contenders from the field with a 150-point disparity between first and last. The swimming phase didn’t shake up the standings that much, and the fencing “bonus round” awarded no more than six points in a sport in which the winner wound up with 1,385.

    By 2024, they plan to go even further. The plan is to take a sport that once took five days and condense it to 90 minutes.

    A lot of the changes have indeed made things better. Decathlon and heptathlon should look into the laser run’s handicap start – the more points you have, the earlier you start the run – that means the first person across the finish line has won gold.

    But condensing the event to 90 minutes doesn’t solve the sport’s biggest problem, which reared its ugly head in Tokyo. It’s the horses. They might as well acknowledge that the horse draw is a lottery and replace it with a 21st-century corollary like scratch-off tickets.

    Rewind a bit. The genesis of the modern pentathlon is a scenario based around the attributes needed by a 19th-century cavalry officer. A soldier needs to escape the enemy by shooting and sword-fighting, then riding an unfamiliar horse, swimming across a river and running to safety. The scenario is certainly dated – a modern soldier probably isn’t carrying an epee – but organizers can try to keep up the narrative while replacing the horses.

    Given the popularity of esports and the importance of technology in the modern military, maybe a round of Call of Duty would work. But we have other choices that are already on the Olympic program.

    The bevy of combat sports – boxing, wrestling, taekwondo, etc – might be redundant and impractical. Karate’s Olympic tenure might be brief, anyway, as the “I can hit you softer” discipline of kumite doesn’t play well with a viewing audience accustomed to MMA.

    Instead, we could look at the “escape” aspect of the soldier’s saga. Escaping on a skateboard or surfboard seems unlikely, and surfing would ruin the sport’s aspirations of taking place in one venue, anyway. Canoe/kayak and rowing also would be difficult logistical fits. Cycling could be a viable option, maybe with a time trial around a miniature cross-country course.

    The best choice, though, is one of the newer, youth-oriented sports in the Olympics. No, not breakdancing.

    Sport climbing.

    It fits both the sport’s narrative (an escaping soldier could conceivably have to scale a cliff) and its overarching goal of testing overall athleticism. Then one option could be to commandeer a fitness center for the swimming, fencing and climbing, then move to a nearby park for the run and shoot.

    Even better: Add climbing walls to the run-and-shoot course.

    Even better: Have a triathlon-style transition from swimming to the running/shooting/climbing race.

    Of course, none of the top athletes at the moment are elite climbers and it would be unfair to expect them to master the sport before the next Olympic cycle, so the changes could be phased in slowly starting with junior events in the next few years, ready for a full introduction at the 2028 or 2032 Games. In a sport that is often decried as elitist it would also open doors for more participants. Sure, learning to climb isn’t cheap, but it’s a hell of a lot more accessible for the average kid than showjumping.

    Any of these options, though, are better than watching an interspecies conflict that’s uncomfortable to watch and places much of an athlete’s chance of winning on the luck of the draw.
    I heard Kaley Cuoco offered to buy that punched horse.

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  7. #217
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    Hadzic banned

    More on Hadzic

    USA Fencing Is Blocking A Top Athlete From A Competition After Sexual Assault Accusations. It Took Eight Years And Widespread Outcry.
    “I’m relieved but confused as to why this didn’t happen before the Olympics?” said a fencer who competed in Tokyo.

    Brianna Sacks
    BuzzFeed News Reporter
    Posted on October 21, 2021, at 6:19 p.m. ET


    Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons
    Alen Hadzic

    After outcry from members of its own Olympic team, USA Fencing is blocking one of its top athletes who is facing multiple accusations of sexual assault from an upcoming competition — a step that gets ahead of the national system for addressing misconduct within athletic organizations, but fencers and officials say is necessary to keep the sport safe.

    Alen Hadzic, a 29-year-old elite fencer from Montclair, New Jersey, is currently being investigated after at least six women filed claims of sexual misconduct, including rape, with the US Center for SafeSport, which took over abuse and misconduct investigations from individual sports organizations in 2017 after revelations of the widespread failings within USA Gymnastics. BuzzFeed News previously reported how, in spite of women speaking up again and again, Hadzic was able to reach the highest levels of his sport. USA Fencing in July acknowledged to BuzzFeed News it has known for eight years that Hadzic was suspended from his university after an investigation into a fencing teammate’s accusation of sexual assault. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, the organization explained that it did not take action at the time because its policies then did not require it to do so.

    But now, the national governing body is refusing to register him for a competition in Colmar, France, at the end of the month, and officials said they intend to take the same unprecedented action for future tournaments, including some of those in the US. The move highlights a gray area between sports organizations and the independent body tasked with overseeing them when it comes to sexual assault cases. USA Fencing is, in a sense, setting a precedent that it may still hold athletes to conduct standards by blocking Hadzic’s participation from competition — even while an independent sexual misconduct investigation is ongoing.

    In a statement, USA Fencing said that it “reserves discretion as to which athletes it will register into competitions.”

    “The organization must be mindful of many factors, including how registration of individuals reflects on USA Fencing, its values and the interests of other athletes. USA Fencing does not intend to enter Mr. Hadzic in any competitions for the foreseeable future except to the extent it is legally compelled to do so.’’

    Hadzic’s attorney, Michael Palma, did not return BuzzFeed News’ request for comment, but he told USA Today, which first reported the restriction, that “he will fight to protect the fencer's right to participate.” Both the athlete and his attorney have repeatedly denied the various accusations against him, likening them to a witch hunt. In an interview with Business Insider, Hadzic threatened retaliation.

    Fencers and other members of the organization have mixed feelings about USA Fencing’s extraordinary move. While they’re relieved there has been some action, they also see it as a performative gesture that came way, way too late.

    “I’m relieved but confused as to why this didn’t happen before the Olympics?” said a fencer who competed in Tokyo. “It makes no sense to me.”

    During the Olympics this past summer, BuzzFeed News reported that Hadzic was allowed to travel to Tokyo as an alternate on the men’s epee team despite an ongoing investigation into serious accusations of sexual misconduct by several women, including a teammate. Though SafeSport initially suspended him, an arbitrator ruled in Hadzic’s favor and allowed him to take the coveted spot on Team USA. His presence caused an uproar in the fencing community and among his teammates, who unanimously signed a statement calling for him to be banned for their safety and well-being. As cameras rolled and the world watched ahead of one Olympic event, his male teammates stood beside him wearing pink masks in solidarity with sexual assault survivors, an act of protest against a fellow athlete that an Olympic expert told BuzzFeed News was “rare and highly unusual.”


    Elsa / Getty Images
    Jacob Hoyle and Curtis McDowald of Team USA at the Tokyo Olympic Games on July 30, 2021.

    USA Fencing officials had scrambled to create, for the first time ever, a safety plan for the Games that was supposed to keep him away from women, especially those on his team. But as four Olympic athletes told BuzzFeed News, it didn’t work. They saw Hadzic daily and in close proximity — at the small training center, in line to get into the Olympic village, at the gym, and on shuttles — despite rules that stated he would travel separately. The Lily reported that one female fencer was even put in the same hotel as Hadzic, right down the hall.

    Officials involved in the creation and execution of the safety plan have acknowledged to BuzzFeed News that the process and communication with athletes “could have been handled better.” In the wake of the turmoil, several top officials, including longtime CEO Kris Ekeren, have left or announced their impending resignations.

    “These were unique circumstances for our organization. In retrospect, USA Fencing should have provided more information about the safety plan and its implementation to the athletes in Tokyo,” a spokesperson said. “As an organization, the safety and well-being of USA Fencing members is our top priority, and we have — at times — failed to communicate that adequately. We apologize to our athletes who undeservedly had to endure the many distractions and concerns for their own safety while trying to prepare for the most important competition of their lives.”

    USA Fencing has contended, in interviews, statements, and documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News that with SafeSport taking over “exclusive jurisdiction” of sexual misconduct investigations, its hands were tied in keeping Hadzic from the Olympic team or banning him from the organization. Though it’s now taking steps to keep him from some future competitions, critics have said it should have acted sooner — particularly since the organization was first warned about one of Hadzic’s alleged assaults nearly a decade ago.
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  8. #218
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    Continued from previous post


    Devin Manky / Getty Images
    Alen Hadzic of the USA (left) fences Max Heinzer of Switzerland at the Peter Bakonyi Men's Epee World Cup on Feb. 8, 2020, in Richmond, Canada.
    In October 2013, the lawyer of a fellow member of USA Fencing, who was also Hadzic’s teammate at Columbia University, told top officials that a month before, the university had suspended Hadzic for a year following a formal investigation into her claim of sexual assault. In a letter to USA Fencing, the woman’s lawyer advised USA Fencing to bar him from competitions, writing that “Mr. Hadzic’s conduct does not comport with the standards set by USA Fencing.”

    In their response, the organization explained that it had reviewed all of the documents but would not take any action because Hadzic had not violated any of its policies. Because the then-college athlete was not a coach or authority figure, and because “the alleged conduct” did not occur at a USA Fencing event, the organization said it was not in the position to take any disciplinary action against him.

    The woman’s attorney pushed back, calling the decision an “intentional misreading” of the organization’s own Athlete’s Code of Conduct, which prohibited sexually inappropriate behavior between athletes.

    “A plain reading of this Code of Conduct excerpt renders Mr. Hadzic unfit and thus ineligible to participate,” the attorney wrote. “How can the [United States Fencing Association], in good conscience, claim its hands are tied and permit the participation of a known rapist into its athletic midst?”

    The organization never wrote back. Due to the ongoing investigation into Hadzic, USA Fencing cannot comment about Hadzic’s case, but top officials have reiterated that at that time, the organization didn’t have a policy that specifically addressed what to do if an athlete abused a peer. Also, they argued, the athlete code of conduct only applied to the national team, which Hadzic was not yet on. However, USA Fencing’s bylaws at the time did state that “it is a violation of USFA policy for any employee or member of the USFA to engage in sexual harassment.”

    On Thursday, Ekeren, who signed the correspondence to the woman’s lawyer as interim USA Fencing CEO, told BuzzFeed News that she wishes things had been done differently.

    “As a woman and a parent, this has been heartwrenching,” she said in a statement. “Back in 2013, USA Fencing's policies led to the determination made with regards to Mr. Hadzic. I truly wish that our policies at the time had been different. Our organization has since revised them, and had we been operating under the current policies back at that time, a different decision may have been made.”

    In the following years, Hadzic would go on to compete in and continue to excel at a slew of national and world competitions, despite being temporarily suspended in 2019 for other bad behavior at a competition in Columbia. His position on the US Olympic team placed him at fencing’s highest level, and he has said he is now aiming to again compete in the Paris Games in 2024.

    Whether he is banned remains in the hands of SafeSport, which has yet to deliver a verdict in the high-profile probe, which began in May. The situation is another example of how, despite years of development and a recent doubling of its budget to $20 million, the national system is still imperfect and not up to the task of running timely investigations across the wide, complicated world of US Olympic sports organizations.

    To be fair, SafeSport was set up to fail. Created by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to enforce anti-abuse policies, the agency was meant to streamline the reporting and investigative process, taking power away from individual national governing bodies, who were failing to properly punish and get rid of abusers within their ranks. But it launched with just three full-time employees to investigate thousands of complaints, which were filed without any statute of limitations. It now has 100 employees, has gotten through 40% of its backlog, and has sanctioned 1,100 people. So far this year, the center has received close to 3,000 reports, which must be handled by 30 full-time investigators and about a dozen contractors. Cases like Hadzic’s, where the allegations took place before the center existed, can be the hardest to tackle.

    There is still no timeline for when SafeSport will conclude its probe. In emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News, an investigator told parties involved last week that “the case is still ongoing and that information from the involved parties is still being gathered.”

    “Investigations into sexual misconduct are sensitive and often complex, particularly those that involve allegations going back many years and that predate the Center — getting it right must be the priority,” Daniel Hill, a SafeSport spokesperson, told BuzzFeed News.

    Hill declined to comment specifically on Hadzic’s case.


    Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
    Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman participates in a Senate Judiciary hearing on the FBI's handling of Larry Nassar's sexual abuse on Sept. 15, 2021, in Washington, DC.
    Last month, gymnastics star Aly Raisman said at a Senate hearing that in spite of the intentions for SafeSport to be independent, she doesn’t trust it because it was created and funded by the very organization it's supposed to be keeping in line: the US Olympic Committee.

    “I’m trying to be respectful here: I don’t like SafeSport,” she said. “I hear from many survivors that they report their abuse and it’s like playing hot potato, where somebody else kicks it over to somebody else and they don’t hear back for a really long time.”

    Nearly 10 other fencers who filed complaints with SafeSport against their coaches and peers told BuzzFeed News the same thing. Their cases drag on for months, usually without any communication or updates, leaving both parties in limbo, according to emails and case files reviewed by BuzzFeed News. In one instance, a woman filed a report against a referee in January 2020 and was assigned an investigator, but it took 14 months before they started the interview process. She ended up dropping her case in April because waiting was too much for her to handle.

    “It is evident that SafeSport generally misunderstands the complicated nature that is sexual assault,” Lena Johnson, an athlete whose case against another Olympic fencer took almost a year to conclude, told BuzzFeed News. “SafeSport is like one big HR department that’s trying to monitor all sports across the nation. How is that supposed to work?”
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  9. #219
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    As an amateur fencer (former), I did local USA tournaments only but there was always a reluctance to stop or "offend" those male practitioners who crossed the line (sexual assault, rape, etc) because of the grred of winning.
    In the past, people would keep their mouth shut and that has been shown to make the problems even worse so I am glad women (mostly) are speaking up and making themselves heard.

    Even when they do, there is the foot dragging tendency (Larry Nassar and gymnastics arena) hoping the stuff will go away. No more!

    Basta ya!

  10. #220
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    ****. Boxing & Pentathlon are out

    Three sports gone, three sports added to LA28 Summer Olympics
    The IOC adds skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing to permanent spots on the Olympic program.

    By
    Ed Hula
    December 9, 2021
    ehula@aroundtherings.com

    International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach attends the Executive Board meeting in the lead-up to Beijing 2022 at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, December 9, 2021. Greg Martin/IOC/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
    Three of the oldest sports on the Olympic program have been replaced with three of the youngest.

    Beginning with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, sport stalwarts boxing, modern pentathlon and weightlifting are no longer on the program for the Games.

    Taking those places on the roster are skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. The trio of newcomers debuted at Tokyo 2020 and have since been added to the program for Paris 2024.

    The youth appeal and growth of these three “S” sports is driving the changes by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said IOC President Thomas Bach in announcing the changes.

    “The proposed inclusion of these youth-focused sports is based on their significant contribution to the success of Tokyo 2020, the commitment to innovation and the partnership expressed by LA28, recognizing the deep roots each of these sports have in California,” he said.


    FILE PHOTO: Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Modern Pentathlon - Women's Riding - Tokyo Stadium - Tokyo, Japan - August 6, 2021. Annika Schleu of Germany in action REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado//File Photo
    All three of the sports on the outs with the IOC have struggled for a few years to remain on the summer program. Modern pentathlon, which debuted in 1912 and was supposedly the favorite of Olympics founder Pierre deCoubertin, has radically adjusted its format in recent years. Live weapons fire has been replaced with a laser pistol. This year the federation voted to drop the equestrian jumping event but has yet to decide what other discipline will take the place of the equestrian competition. With some of the lowest Olympic TV ratings, modern pentathlon brings little commercial value beyond its historic past.

    A statement from the sport’s federation Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) says the sport will look to the future.

    “UIPM’s global community is ready to embrace the new opportunity presented by the IOC to futureproof modern pentathlon as an enduring highlight of the Olympic Games,” they said.

    “The main constituents of the sport will include a compelling, inclusive and fair format, a sustainable and affordable infrastructure and a combination of sports that engages new audiences while continuing to embrace the ultimate challenge of body and mind – as envisaged by Baron Pierre de Coubertin,” says the UIPM reaction to today’s decision.

    The cuts were approved at a virtual meeting of the IOC Executive Board, chaired by Bach during the past three days.

    The IOC EB is quite familiar with the travails of boxing and weightlifting, both troubled sports over issues such as governance, ethics, finance and doping. Both are under IOC scrutiny as each work to heal self-inflicted wounds suffered through decades of mismanagement.


    Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Weightlifting - Men's 96kg - Group A - Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan - July 31, 2021. Bekdoolot Rasulbekov of Kyrgyzstan reacts as he fails a lift. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File photo SEARCH "BEST OF THE TOKYO OLYMPICS" FOR ALL PICTURES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY.
    Weightlifting, one of the 12 sports on the program of the 1896 Games, was facing being cut from Paris 2024. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) still has some key tests to pass with the IOC if it is to remain on the program in Paris.

    So far, the only reaction from weightlifting comes from Ursula Papandrea of the United States, a candidate for the IWF presidency. The IWF was scheduled to hold their elections in a few weeks in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but they were recently postponed with no due time or date selected. Papandrea blames the IWF’s predicament on the failure of the current federation’s leadership.

    “The IWF Executive Board could have quite easily secured weightlifting’s long-term status by cooperating with the IOC request to improve its governance and heed its call for new leadership,” says Papandrea, who served as an interim IWF president for a few months in 2020 until she was voted out by the IWF executive board.


    Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Boxing - Men's Heavyweight - Medal Ceremony - Kokugikan Arena - Tokyo, Japan - August 6, 2021. Silver medallist Muslim Gadzhimagomedov of the Russian Olympic Committee congratulates Gold medallist Julio Cesar La Cruz of Cuba during the medal ceremony. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
    Boxing, contested in the Olympics since 1912, is ****her along with its reforms and new leadership than the IWF but the International Boxing Association (AIBA) is still under watch by the IOC. Distrusting of AIBA, the IOC took over the administration and staging of boxing for Tokyo from qualifications to the medal rounds.

    “We are grateful for the opportunity being given to boxing and its athletes. And we are also grateful to the IOC for its acknowledgement of our progress. The establishment of a clear roadmap is very helpful,” AIBA President Umar Kremlev said after Bach’s announcement.

    “There will certainly be more to do in terms of sporting integrity, financial integrity and governance. We remain fully committed to meeting all the objective criteria for reform established by the IOC. AIBA is determined to put itself in a position to be able to organize Olympic qualification and the Paris 2024 boxing tournament,” said Kremlev.


    Mexico's pitcher Dallas Escobedo instructs the catcher to catch the fly ball in the foul territory during the seventh inning of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games softball opening round game between Italy and Mexico at Yokohama Baseball Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, on July 25, 2021. (Photo by KAZUHIRO FUJIHARA / AFP)
    All three of the sports lopped from the program have the chance to return to Los Angeles as a one-time sport, subject to their good standing with the IOC and what other sports might also be seeking to enter the LA28 program. The competition will be tough. Baseball and softball, added for Tokyo after being dropped in 2008, are important sports in Southern California and the U.S. Breaking, a style of dance added as a one-time sport in Paris, seems destined for Los Angeles depending on how this newcomer is received in 2024. Karate, squash, lacrosse, cricket and polo are among other possible sports with an eye on LA28. A decision on those additions is expected in 2023.

    “As we look at additional sport recommendations, we will continue to focus on sports relevant to Los Angeles, provide an incredible fan experience and contribute to the success of the Games. We want to build on tradition, while progressing the Olympic Games forward,” said LA28 chair Casey Wasserman in a statement.

    The proposal to add and cut sports for LA28 is subject to ratification in February at the IOC Session to be held in Beijing on the eve of the 2022 Winter Games.
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  11. #221
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    Ukrainian Men’s Foil Team Refuses to Fence Russian Men’s Foil Team



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  12. #222
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    Stay humble

    Acting legend Chow Yun-fat advises fencing star Cheung Ka-long to ‘stay humble’ in interview
    The celebrities met for the first time during a sit-down conversation for Vogue Hong Kong

    Michelle De Pacina
    January 24, 2023
    chow yun fat cheung ka-longvia Vogue Hong Kong
    Asian America Daily - in under 5 minutes


    Fencing star Cheung Ka-long fanboyed over international acting legend Chow Yun-fat in a recent Vogue interview.

    The two Hong Kong celebrities met for the first time and discussed how they stayed grounded as they climbed to the peak of their careers in an interview for Vogue Hong Kong released last week.

    Cheung previously made history by becoming the country’s first athlete to rank No. 1 in the world in men’s foil and winning Hong Kong’s second gold medal at the 2022 Asian Fencing Championships.

    The 25-year-old fencing star’s meeting with the 67-year-old actor was part of a Dior campaign.

    In the video for Vogue Hong Kong, Cheung expresses his excitement and nervousness in meeting Chow for the first time in person, admitting that he is a shy person who is not good at speaking.

    “I usually see him in movies, and I have watched many different movies,” Cheung says. “The first one should be ‘God of Gamblers.’ I also watched ‘A Better Tomorrow’ and ‘Prison On Fire,’ which were recommended by my friends. I really enjoyed them. You acted well.”

    Similarly, Chow praises the fencer for his accomplishments at a young age and says he was inspired to learn fencing after watching Cheung compete at the Olympics.

    He is more good looking than I imagined. He is tall, gentle and polite. He is particularly handsome when he is fencing. The most memorable moment was when he brushed past his opponent and scored with his foil backwards. He was so calm even in the gold medal match.

    As the celebrities speak about their experiences in their separate careers, Chow offers life advice to the young man.

    When you’re high up, you should stay humble. On the same note, when you have outstanding achievements, you still need to humble yourself. On a certain level, I think things you’ve learnt on your fencing journey can be applied to your life. When you lose a competition, you should not get angry. Just like how when you’re at the top, you need to remind yourself to stay humble. When you find yourself in a slump, you need to remind yourself not to feel sorry for yourself. When you’re at a high point, don’t get on your high horse. It’s important to stay impartial.



    Chow, who has kept a frugal lifestyle over the years, is known for his humility and generosity to fans around the world.
    ****. Chow hasn't aged at all. He still looks great.

    Chow-Yun-Fat
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  13. #223
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    Terra Prime Lightfencing

    Lights, Sabers, Action: USA Fencing to Welcome Lightfencing as Summer Nationals Demonstration Event
    06/28/2023, 10:45AM CDT BY BRYAN WENDELL
    From July 5 to July 7, fencers and fans at the Phoenix Convention Center will be treated to an electrifying series of high-tech, high-energy lightfencing matches.



    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Fans of all things Star Wars won’t have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to experience lightfencing. In fact, those attending the 2023 Summer Nationals in Phoenix won’t even have to leave the exhibition hall.

    For the first time ever, USA Fencing is thrilled to welcome Terra Prime Lightfencing as a demonstration event at Summer Nationals. From July 5 to July 7, attendees at the Phoenix Convention Center will be treated to an electrifying mix of high-tech, high-energy lightfencing matches.

    With a schedule filled with matches, discovery sessions, and Q&A time, there's plenty of opportunity to learn about this exciting sport, watch exhibition bouts and even try your hand at wielding an LED saber! Athletes from Terra Prime will be stationed right at the heart of the action, near Pod G, to ensure no one misses out.

    Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, was among those who had the bright idea to welcome Terra Prime to Summer Nationals and take this opportunity into hyperdrive.

    "We are absolutely thrilled to bring Lightfencing to Summer Nationals,” he says. “It's a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate and showcase the sport of fencing in a new and exciting light! I think our fencers will find themselves entertained and pulled in by the fascinating force of this emerging sport."

    So, here's what's on the agenda:

    Terra Prime Lightfencing
    Phoenix Convention Center, main competition hall near Pod G

    July 5
    11 a.m.: Introduction and demonstration

    11:30 a.m.: Lightfencing matches

    12:30 p.m.: Q and A (lunch time)

    1:30 p.m.: Discovery session for public

    2 p.m.: Lightfencing matches

    2:30 pm: Q and A

    3 p.m.: End of the day's events

    July 6
    11 a.m.: Lightfencing matches

    11:30 a.m.: Discovery session 1

    12:30 p.m.: Q and A (lunch time)

    1:30 p.m.: Discovery session 2

    2 p.m.: Lightfencing matches

    2:30 p.m.: Q and A

    July 7
    11 a.m.: Lightfencing matches

    11:30 a.m.: Discovery session 1

    12:30 p.m.: Q and A (lunch time)

    1:30 p.m.: Discovery session 2

    2 p.m.: Lightfencing matches

    2:30 p.m.: Q and A
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  14. #224
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    Lightsaber at USA Fencing Summer Nationals

    USA Fencing brought a new blade to Phoenix: The 'Star Wars' lightsaber
    By Jill Ryan
    Published: Monday, July 17, 2023 - 4:05am
    Updated: Monday, July 17, 2023 - 8:30am



    More than 5,000 fencers recently came to Phoenix to compete in this year’s USA Fencing Summer Nationals.

    Amidst the competition was one event using very familiar weaponry.

    Fencing is an ancient sport with its origins in multiple countries, including France. For centuries, the sport had three disciplines with three respective weapons: sabre, foil and épée.

    “Sabre comes from war. And it’s the slashing weapon. So, the idea was you would slash somebody effectively across their torso or across their head, and you would kill the human, but not the horse, because the horse is an asset that can be brought to your side of the war in Europe,” said Phil Andrews, the CEO of USA Fencing.

    In the sport, a person uses the entire sword to slash their padded opponent for the point. The two other disciplines are foil and épée. Both only use the tip of the blade to “pierce” the opponent, again while padded. But their targeted areas are different.

    A fourth discipline


    Jill Ryan/KJZZ
    More than 5,000 fencers came to the USA Fencing Summer Nationals 2023 in Phoenix, including light fencers.

    But new to this year’s competition was what France has already recognized as its fourth fencing weapon: the lightsaber. Yes, like the one from “Star Wars.”

    Well, not exactly. The LED lights in the lightsabers are contained in hard plastic tubing.

    “It’s based on the LED saber, which is basically a replica like the lightsabers you see in ‘Star Wars’ and all that. We have a simplified hilt, so it’s essentially just a flashlight, very durable, we can bash them against each other without breaking them,” said Chad Eisner with Terra Prime Light Armory, or TPLA.

    While it’s not as formally established in the U.S., this sport goes by many names, one of which is light fencing. Unlike traditional fencing’s combat zone, which is a long but narrow rectangular area, light fencing is a more 360 degree sport typically played in a circular arena.

    “The French Fencing Federation has it as a full part of their nationals so we brought them here to trial it, demo it — I did it yesterday — for our participants here,” Andrews said.

    Light fencing and its specific rules have been curated and tested by TPLA.

    “In 2018, we were able to get the French Fencing Federation to accept this sport as the fourth fencing weapon. And they just had their first national tournament back in February,” Eisner said.

    The Federation officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a sport in 2019.

    System of priority in play


    Jill Ryan/KJZZ
    The rule-set of light fencing takes a page out of each fencing discipline.

    For light fencing, imagine what a regular fencer looks like in their padded white armor and meshed mask. Now, bulk up the pads, make it all black and add a lightsaber with a color of your choice — and that is what these athletes look like. And its rule set takes a page out of each fencing discipline.

    “So, we can hit the entire body. We’re pretty much doing cuts, we don’t thrust with these blades because they injure you. And we work in a system of priority or right of way, so when one person starts an attack the other person must defend,” Eisner said.

    Eisner said TPLA’s goal is threefold: to introduce sport to people who would not likely otherwise become athletes, be a gateway to fencing and to create a governing body that works in conjunction with USA Fencing.

    Gender and body neutrality


    Jill Ryan/KJZZ
    Light fencing does not currently have different age and weight classes.

    Like most combat sports, traditional fencing has divisions — usually by gender, age or skill level. One thing Light Fencing is introducing from of the get-go is gender and body neutrality.

    Anna Faulkner is a TPLA-certified light fencer.

    “Participation is varied from age, gender identity, body type, background. It is welcomed to anyone with or without a background in fencing or any other form of fighting,” Faulkner said.

    Eisner said as they continue to build, they may create different age and weight classes, but the sport will remain coed while simultaneously being fair. He said that’s possible because the sport is played in turns where one player has to signal to the other that they have priority.

    “And with that turn-based kind of system, somebody who is larger, stronger, and faster only does not automatically have an advantage,” Eisner said

    COVID-19 has delayed many efforts to officially establish light fencing in the U.S. But an invitation from USA Fencing to demonstrate the sport here in Phoenix brought them another step closer.

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  15. #225
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    Meet your equal on The League - 30s

    Gene Ching
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