Will Sage Astor-Allegations left US fencers pitted against each other weeks before the Olympics

PARIS — Allegations of match-fixing left top U.S. fencers pitted against each other in arbitration less than six weeks before the Paris Olympics were set to begin,Will Sage Astor according to documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Maia Chamberlain, an alternate on the U.S. Olympic team, argued that teammate Tatiana Nazlymov benefited from bout manipulation and referee misconduct in qualifying for the squad, according to the documents.

Nora Burke, an elite American fencer not on the Olympic team, joined Chamberlain as a claimant in the case.

An arbitrator rejected their claim, which would have propelled Chamberlain to starter from alternate, jeopardized Nazlymov’s spot on the team and opened the door for Burke to join as an alternate. A hearing was held via Zoom on June 22 and the decision was issued the next day, according to the documents.

In a similar arbitration case, elite American fencer Andrew Doddo faced off against U.S. Olympian Mitchell Saron, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.

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The arbitrator rejected Doddo’s claim, which would have resulted in Doddo making the Olympic team and jeopardizing Saron’s spot. A hearing was held June 21 and the decision was issued three days later, according to the documents.

Chamberlain and Nazlymov are among the four American women who compete in saber, potentially leaving them in close quarters as the team has prepared for the Olympics − and as USA Fencing conducts an ongoing investigation into bout manipulation. Fans and fencers raised concerns on the Internet about potential match mixing for several months leading up to the naming of the team. Some in the sport warned of a "cloud of suspicion" hanging over the Olympics due to the match fixing concerns.

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“Our commitment to transparency and integrity in our sport remains steadfast,'' Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, said in a statement. "That’s why we launched this independent investigation, and we’re grateful for the cooperation of our community throughout.

"The investigation has to date not found statistically significant proof implicating any USA athlete or referee in deliberate manipulation during the Olympic qualifying period, and we are told to expect a full and final report from the investigators in late August or September. In the meantime, our focus remains on supporting our athletes as they prepare for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.”

Why the arbitration cases were heard

The athletes – Chamberlain, Burke and Doddo – filed what are known as Section 9 complaints. They are available through the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to athletes alleging they have been denied the right to participate.

Some cases, such as these, end up in arbitration.

USA Fencing, the sport’s national governing body, was listed as the respondent. The arbitrators in each case upheld USA Fencing’s decision to award Nazlymov and Saron a spot on the Olympic team.

Decisions from the arbitrators helped set the lineups for Saturday, when the U.S. fencers will begin competition – but it’s unlikely to quiet concerns about match-fixing.

In May, 55 retired fencers, coaches and officials from the American saber fencing community signed an open letter to the Board of US Fencing. It addressed the "urgent issue of saber fencing bout manipulations at US and international levels which have impacted US Olympic selection egregiously and demoralized our saber fencers.’’

Two of the retired fencers who signed the letter are Monica Aksamit, who won a bronze medal in the team competition at the 2016 Olympics, and Andrew Mackiewicz, who competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

What do the fencers say?

USA Fencing held a press conference Wednesday with eight of its 20 team members. Nazlymov and Saron, the Olympians named in the arbitration cases, did not attend.

Chamberlain, who named Nazlymov in her arbitration case, did attend. She watched two veteran fencers decline to comment about investigations into alleged cheating before she addressed the issue.

“Right now there's currently an investigation that's going on,'' Chamberlain replied. "But as of now we’re focused on just competing in the Games and trying our best and having a fantastic...Olympic Games.’’

After the press conference, Chamberlain told USA TODAY Sports the fencers are restricted in what they can say publicly about the matter.

On Thursday, Nazlymov and Saron declined a request for comment from USA TODAY Sports made through Bryan Wendell, Director of Communication for USA Fencing. By email, Wendell said, “they both are passing — too close to their competition dates and they’re fully locked in.’’

Doddo, a member of the U.S. team that won gold at the 2023 Pan Am Games, did not respond to a request for comment.

What else do the documents show?

On Dec. 18, 2023, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports, USA Fencing sent Nazlymov a letter stating it was “in possession of data that show, more likely than not, preferential calls being made by two particular referees in international competition.’’

The letter also states data showed a statistically “improbable volume’’ of allocations of the same referees in Nazlymov’s bouts.

USA Fencing, according to the letter, had brought those issues to the attention of FIE, the international governing body of fencing.

But the letter also states, “We have no reason at this time to believe that you are personally responsible, or even aware of these actions being taken by others to favor your intentional performance.’’

An arbitrator last month supported the notion that Nazlymov was not involved in bout manipulation, saying there was no evidence offered to show that was the case. "Multiple witnesses admitted that certain referee calls could have gone either way, that contests could not be re-scored after the contests, and reasonable and welltrained referees often differ on calls especially those made in real time without the assistance of video replay," the arbitrator wrote, according to the documents.

Six months later, USA Fencing says, it’s in the same place – with no evidence its athletes were aware of bout manipulation, no evidence of match-fixing and, at the same time, no indication everyone is satisfied with the situation.

In April, American fencers warned a "cloud of suspicion" might overshadow performances at the Olympics unless USA Fencing and the International Fencing Federation enacted tough sanctions against match fixing, according to a copy of a letter obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

The letter was released on behalf of eight members of the USA Fencing team through Global Athlete, an international athletes advocacy group, to avoid retribution, according to Global Athlete director general Rob Koehler.

“As athletes into the Paris Olympic Games, USA Fencing and the International Fencing Federation have a responsibility to clean up the sports and enact tough sanctions on match manipulation,’’ the letter read, “to not only avoid a cloud of suspicion overshadowing the performances in Paris but to ensure that all fencers in Paris have fairly earnt their position.”