In an Olympics Fencing match that took place in Paris on Monday, Greece’s Theodora Gkountoura competed against France’s Manon Apithy-Brunet in the individual women’s sabre competition in a match that sparked controversy.
The tournament concluded with a narrow victory for the French athlete. Apithy-Brunet beat Gkountoura towards the end of the game with a final score of 15-13.
The defeat eliminated Gkountoura from advancing to the semifinals. This means that she has to abandon her dream of an Olympic medal in the event.
The controversy over Monday’s Olympics Fencing match
The match turned out to be an extremely contested competition that kept spectators laser-focused on their screens and seats.
Gkountoura, who has an impressive career with two bronze medals at the World Fencing Championships in 2019 and 2023, as well as a gold medal at the 2023 Seoul Grand Prix, was seen as a strong contender who had high hopes for Greece’s first medal in the Paris Olympics.
However, her journey in the French capital was cut short by Apithy-Brunet, a seasoned fencer who brought back a Tokyo 2020 Olympics bronze medal to her home country. The Tokyo Olympics were held in 2021.
The outcome of Monday’s Olympics Fencing match sparked significant uproar on Greek social media, particularly on the platform X (formerly Twitter).
Many Greek fans and television viewers have stormed social media platforms claiming that the referee displayed blatant bias against Gkountoura. They also claim the referee clearly favored the French fencer. This was probably because she was competing in her home country. Referee details are not publicly available.
These claims have added more fuel to the globally-ongoing debate about the way the sport is being judged and about the integrity of refereeing in the world of fencing.
An outraged X user noted on Monday: “Gkountoura was robbed! They denied her the chance to win a medal. The referee ignored the sensor’s result, canceled a phase that would have brought the score 14-14, because the French had to qualify! Why? Because he could!”
Another user commented on the Greek athlete’s ethos. “She spoke well about her fellow athlete and when it came to refereeing, she only said that she would have to check again some of the hits. Only pride for this wonderful athlete!”
Speaking to Greece’s Public Broadcaster ERT after the end of this controversial Olympics Fencing game, Gkountoura broke into tears.
“It’s not sadness, it’s just emotions,” she said adding that “my medal isn’t here. My medal is being seen everyday during my training.”
Gkountoura is 27 years old and comes from Athens. She is currently number 7 in the ranking of the International Fencing Federation.