The IOC assured Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan on Friday that she will have a place at the Paris Olympics next year after she was disqualified from a key ranking event for refusing to shake hands with a Russian she had beaten.
In a letter to Kharlan, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said it would make a "unique exception" by allocating her an extra place to ensure she competes in Paris.
"It is admirable how you are managing this incredibly difficult situation," wrote Bach, who like Kharlan is a former Olympic champion in a fencing team event.
Kharlan, a four-time Olympic medalist and world champion, received a "black card" or a disqualification, after she won an individual sabre bout against Anna Smirnova then refused to shake hands with Smirnova, instead offering her sabre to tap blades.
Smirnova, who was competing as an approved neutral athlete, remained on the piste for more than 50 minutes after the incident, speaking with a number of officials and sitting on a chair on the piste before leaving. In fencing's rules, shaking an opponent's hand is mandatory.
Kharlan told Reuters that she stood by her decision not to shake hands with Smirnova and acknowledged the support she has received over her refusal.
"Everything that was going on, I think is a huge message for the people," Kharlan said Friday. "... You have to understand we still have war, and during this war ... we just can't ... do handshakes, and you have to change, and you have to have some respect for us."
Kharlan said she would never choose to shake hands with her Russian opponent.
"I'm sorry, but there is something bigger than Olympic Games or license or fencing, and finally I understood that, there is something more," she said. "The support for the Ukrainian people, it's incredible."
The disqualification by the International Fencing Federation denied Kharlan the chance to earn more ranking points that feed into Olympic qualification. Each Olympic sport has a strict quota for athletes within the IOC-imposed 10,500 overall total at the Summer Games in Paris.
Kharlan's case cast doubt on the IOC's hopes for athletes from the two countries, as well as Russian ally Belarus, to compete against each other without incident.
Kharlan had also addressed the issue in an Instagram video Thursday, referring to it as a "very important day."
"I did not want to shake hands with this athlete, and I acted with my heart," Kharlan said. "So when I heard that they wanted to disqualify me, it killed me so much that I was screaming in pain.
"I think I understand, like everyone else in this world, in a sane world, that the rules have to change because the world is changing."
Tennis player Elina Svitolina and soccer clubs such as Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk have been among the figures expressing their solidarity on social media for the 32-year-old fencer.
Ukrainian athletes in other sports, including Svitolina and fellow tennis player Marta Kostyuk, have also refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents following Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began last year.
The IOC also said Friday that international federations should handle situations involving Ukrainian and neutral athletes with sensitivity.
"We are aware of the difficult inner conflicts they may have, given the aggression against their country," the IOC said. "Therefore, we encourage international federations to handle situations involving Ukrainian and individual neutral athletes with the necessary degree of sensitivity."
The FIE said Friday that it would allow Kharlan to compete for Ukraine in the upcoming team sabre event but still defended the decision to punish her. Kharlan had faced a suspension from the rest of the world championships and other events due to the black card.
Echoing the IOC, FIE interim president Emmanuel Katsiadakis said the ruling "sends a message of sensitivity and understanding to our members and all sports federations, as the world faces tremendous challenges." The FIE published a comment attributed to Kharlan saying she was "thankful for this decision" and wanted to return to competition.
However, the FIE statement made no mention of allowing Ukrainians to avoid handshakes with Russian opponents in future, and the federation insisted it was right to punish Kharlan.
"The FIE stands fully behind the penalty, which, after a thorough review, is in complete accordance and compliance with its official rules and associated penalties," it said.
Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Huttsait had described the incident as "an obvious provocation from the Russian side." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, writing on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, said Smirnova "lost the fair competition and decided to play dirty with the handshake show. This is exactly how Russian army acts on the battlefield."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.