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An American fencer who was due to compete in the Tokyo Games lost a call to enter the Olympic Village hours before the opening ceremony on Friday, according to reports.
Three women accused Alen Hadzic of sexual misconduct between 2013 and 2015 and USA Fencing imposed a pre-match “safety plan” that required the fencer to stay in a hotel 30 minutes from the Athletes’ Village, according to Yahoo Sports.
The independent arbitrator who heard the appeal ruled that Hadzic could move to a hotel closer to the Games.
Hadzic called the allegations “frankly false” and said USA Fencing’s requirement that he stay at the hotel was “arbitrary and unnecessary,” Yahoo reported.
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“Basically (USA Fencing) wants to hide Mr. Hadzic and prevent him from participating in the Olympic experience he rightly deserved,” his lawyers argued in a complaint, according to USA Today.
Last month, Hadzic was suspended by the US Center for SafeSport after the allegations surfaced, but a referee overturned the suspension, allowing him to compete as a substitute in the men’s epee, which begins on Sunday, reported the New York Post.
The allegations were filed after Hadzic qualified for the May Olympics, according to Yahoo.
Alen Hadzic of the United States attends the Peter Bakonyi Men’s Epee World Cup preliminary rounds at the Richmond Olympic Oval on February 7, 2020 in Richmond, Canada. (Photo by Devin Manky / Getty Images)
American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was banned from the Games earlier this month after testing positive for marijuana. His suspension has not been lifted.
The fencer also had to travel to Japan two days after his teammates and train away from them after USA Fencing said some athletes on the team had “expressed concerns for their safety and well-being.” while he was there, according to the Post and USA Today.
Hadzic said the reception at the Games was warmer than he expected, USA Today reported.
“I didn’t know what the atmosphere would be like until I came here and then when I got to the training center all the coaches shook my hand and congratulated me for being part of the team, ”he said. “All the shooters who I thought would be afraid to speak with me all came up to me and said hello. Even the women.”
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Despite this, her teammate Katharine Holmes said she has already collected the signatures of every teammate supporting her former Games suspension. Hadzic denied the request but admitted some of the women didn’t want him there.
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