Men’s fencing team declares full support for women who accused one of its members

Three members of the US committee’s men’s fencing team decided to wear pink masks last Friday during one of their performances, showing solidarity with the women who accused one of their partners of abuse.

Jake Hoyle, Curtis McDowald and Yeisser Ramirez wore the pink masks just before the competition started. Alex Hadzic, who was accused by multiple people of harassment and sexual misconduct, was the only member with a black mask.

Hadzic qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last May and, less than two months later, three women charged him with inappropriate incidents that occurred during 2013 and 2015. However, Michael Palma, the fencer’s attorney, stated that his client is innocent.

After the allegations were made public, the US sports center Safe Sport suspended the 29-year-old from all fencing activities. Hadzic appealed the suspension and won. However, he was forced to stay away and without contacting his accusers.

Still, Hadzic traveled to Tokyo individually, separated from the rest of his teammates, and had to stay in a hotel far from the Olympians’ village. Although Hoyle, McDowald and Ramirez publicly showed their support, they have not commented on the case.

In addition, another of the defendant’s companions, Katherine Holmes, decided to collect digital signatures from each member of the North American fencing team to object to Hadzic’s inclusion in the Olympic Games.

It is not the first time that Hadzic has been charged with something like this, as he was suspended from Columbia University during the 2013-2014 school year, after complaints were filed and an investigation into consent of intimate acts was carried out.

In the end, Hadzic participated as a substitute and did not compete in the trials. The North American men’s fencing team lost to the Japanese committee on July 30, ending the campaign by winning one of the first three places in the Olympics.