US Fencer Banned From Tokyo Olympic Village After Sexual Misconduct Accusations

United States fencer Alen Hadzic has reportedly been barred from the Olympic Village in Tokyo following accusations of sexual misconduct.

The serious allegations made against Hadzic means he has now been sent to a different hotel away from Team USA and the other competitors.

It's understood the accusations come from three seperate women over incidents that allegedly occurred between 2013 ad 2019.

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The first report came from a fellow fencer who attended Columbia University alongside Hadzic.

Hadzic was ultimately suspended by college officials for 12 months after the complaint came to light.

Just two years later, he was accused of groping a different woman while on campus.

His hopes of competing in the Tokyo took a major blow when he was suspended from any fencing activities by the US Center for SafeSport.

"Frankly, they're untruths. They're just frankly not true,'' Hadzic told USA Today at the time.

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Hadzic launched an immediate appeal and his ban was subsequently overturned.

The arbitrator overseeing the case ruled: "I do not find it likely that Hadzic's continued participation would be detrimental to the reputation of the United States or his sport.

"For these reasons, I find that the temporary suspension is lifted as not warranted by the facts and circumstances of the allegations."

His road to the Olympic Games was back open.

Even after qualifying for the US Olympic fencing team earlier this year, allegations came to the surface once again - this time online.

USA Fencing's official Instagram account posted a picture of Hadzic after he was named on the team, but the comments section was bombarded with people calling him a "rapist".

Despite initially being suspended during his college days, Hadzic has never been criminally charged with rape or any sexual misconduct.

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That said, organisers in Tokyo had him fly to Japan two days after his American teammates and ordered him not to mingle.

"I didn't know what the atmosphere would be like until I came here," he said.

"But when I actually got to the training facility all of the coaches shook my hand and congratulated me on making the team.

"All of the fencers that I thought would be afraid to speak with me, all came up to me and said hi. Even the women.

Topics: olympics, Tokyo Olympics, Team USA, Australia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry