U.S. fencer Alen Hadzic, who was previously suspended following allegations of sexual misconduct, says he confronted his teammates after they deliberately wore pink masks ahead of the men’s épée event on Friday in an apparent protest of his place on the Olympic team. Jake Hoyle, Curtis McDowald and Yeisser Ramirez all stood alongside Hadzic donning pink masks while Hadzic wore a black mask but the 29-year-old fencer told USA Today in an article published on Saturday that his teammates took a public stand against him without hearing his "side of the story." US MEN’S FENCING TEAM WEAR PINK MASKS IN PROTEST OF TEAMMATE ACCUSED OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT"They never asked me for my side of the story," he told the outlet. His suspension was overturned and he was able to join Team USA as an alternate but under significant restrictions, including having him travel to Tokyo alone and staying in a separate hotel after being banned from the Olympic village. Hadzic told USA Today that it was McDowald that handed his team the masks, making him the sole fencer to wear a black mask.

Source: Fox News July 31, 2021 19:18 UTC