麻豆传媒

Skip to main content

U.S. women's sabre fencers lose Olympic bouts overshadowed by a match-fixing investigation

South Korea's Choi Sebin, left, and United States' Tatiana Nazlymov compete at the Grand Palais in Paris on July 29, 2024. (Andrew Medichini / AP Photo)

South Korea's Choi Sebin, left, and United States' Tatiana Nazlymov compete at the Grand Palais in Paris on July 29, 2024. (Andrew Medichini / AP Photo)
Share
PARIS -

All three U.S. women's sabre fencers lost their opening bouts at the Paris Olympics on Monday under the cloud of an investigation that examined possible match-fixing in qualifying for the Games.

Tatiana Nazlymov was competing a month after she testified in a 13-hour arbitration hearing in which two other American fencers, including the team's Olympic alternate Maia Chamberlain, challenged her place on the Paris roster.

Nazlymov, as well as her teammates Magda Skarbonkiewicz and Elizabeth Tartakovsky, all lost their round-of-32 bouts in the individual sabre. They compete again in the team event Saturday.

USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews had cited 鈥渆motional strain鈥 as a concern before the competition, but it wasn't immediately clear if the investigation had any impact on the three U.S. fencers' performances Monday.

Nazlymov, who lost 15-14 to South Korean Choi Sebin, declined to comment to The Associated Press on her bout as she left the venue.

Two complaints were filed in an arbitration procedure known as Section 9 ahead of the Olympics by fencers disputing whether Nazlymov and men's sabre fencer Mitchell Saron should have been included on the U.S. team for Paris.

Documents show the complaints, first reported by USA Today, were both dismissed in lengthy hearings last month. Nazlymov and Saron are on the team in Paris. There is no suggestion that Nazlymov or Saron, who lost in the men's sabre round of 16 on Saturday, committed any misconduct.

鈥淲e respect the right of those Fencers who went through the Section 9 process and are mindful of the emotional strain the process puts on all parties,鈥 USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews told the AP in a text message Sunday. 鈥淲hile the investigation continues and we anticipate a report after the conclusion of the Olympic Games; both independent panels rendered their decisions and we are now focused on a healthy environment here in Paris.鈥

Nazlymov鈥檚 qualification for the Olympics came amid an ongoing investigation into sabre bouts by USA Fencing. In April, it suspended referees Jacobo Morales and Brandon Romo from tournaments for allegedly conferring during a match that Nazlymov won at a January qualifying event for the Olympics in San Jose, Calif.

An open letter signed by unnamed 鈥渟elect members鈥 of the U.S. team and issued via advocacy group Global Athlete branded the suspensions of Romo and Morales 鈥渨eak and futile鈥 and criticized USA Fencing for not redistributing the Olympic qualification points that had been at stake in the bout.

USA Fencing said at the time it found 鈥渘o evidence鈥 that its fencers manipulated any bouts and none were facing disciplinary action. The arbitration ruling in Nazlymov's case in June backed up that statement.

鈥淣o evidence was offered to show that Ms. Nazlymov was in any way personally involved in any kind of bout manipulation or attempted to gain an advantage through referee misconduct,鈥 the ruling states.

The investigation has cast a shadow over an otherwise successful Olympics so far for U.S. fencers. Lee Kiefer won gold and Lauren Scruggs silver in women's foil Sunday. Their event is not part of the investigation into possible match-fixing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs 鈥 including hot meals for vulnerable kids 鈥 won't spend any time in jail.

Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.

A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.

A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.

Stay Connected