Milan, Thursday 27 July. The Fencing World Championships are taking place in the Milano Convention Centre. At 10.15 am Olha Charlan and Anna Smirnova will face each other on the red track. Olha Charlan from Mykolaiv is the most famous fencer of Ukraine, Olympic champion, world champion. She is one of the most famous Ukrainian athletes. At the end of this day she is one of the most famous Ukrainians.
Anna Smirnova is largely unknown. 23 years old, number 172 in the world in the ranking of the International Fencing Federation FIE, by no means the best Russian saber fencer. The best Russians are barred from returning to international competitions. As sport soldiers they are part of the Russian army, which is waging war against Ukraine, which is shelling Mykolaiv with drones and rockets and many other Ukrainian cities. Anna Smirnowa is allowed to compete and is identified as an “individual neutral athlete” as if her nationality were canceled.