"Can't Be Colleagues with Sex Offenders"… US Men's Epee Team Wearing 'Pink Masks'

Three members of the U.S. fencing team appeared at the Tokyo Olympics fencing venue on the 30th wearing pink masks in opposition to the athlete accused of sexual harassment.
[Photo by NBC New York]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] At the Tokyo Olympics fencing venue, three out of four members of the U.S. men's ?p?e team appeared wearing pink masks, while one player wore a different colored mask, drawing attention as the reason behind this was revealed.

According to foreign media including USA Today on the 31st, the pink masks were a collective protest by the U.S. team expressing dissatisfaction over the inclusion of Allen Hadzic, who is accused of sexual misconduct.

Hadzic passed the Tokyo Olympics qualifiers last May. However, shortly after, three female athletes came forward accusing him of sexual assault between 2013 and 2015.

Hadzic denied the allegations, but it was later revealed that he had been disciplined during his time at Columbia University in 2013-2014. The U.S. sports human rights organization SafeSport provisionally suspended Hadzic's athlete status in June, and Hadzic appealed the decision.

Following the appeal, the SafeSport arbitration panel lifted the suspension, allowing Hadzic to join the U.S. men's ?p?e fencing team as a candidate player. However, SafeSport still restricted contact between Hadzic and other athletes.

As a result, Hadzic traveled to Tokyo alone and stayed by himself at a hotel about 30 minutes away from the Olympic Village.

On the day of the competition, teammate Curtis McDowald handed out masks to Hadzic. However, the mask Hadzic received was a different color. Hadzic's mask was black, while the other three wore pink.

Three members of the U.S. fencing team appeared at the Tokyo Olympic fencing venue on the 30th wearing pink masks in opposition to the player accused of sexual harassment. The player wearing a black mask is Allen Hajitch, who is under suspicion.
[Photo by The Mercury]

Ebtihaj Muhammad, a U.S. female Olympic fencing medalist, posted this photo on her Twitter and wrote, "The U.S. men's ?p?e fencing team all wore pink masks except for Hadzic," adding, "It was an act showing support for the women who were victims of sexual assault."

Meanwhile, Hadzic said in an interview with USA Today, "They never wanted to hear my side of the story," and "They did not try to verify the evidence or ask about my feelings."