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Alen Hadzic
Alen Hadzic (2016)
Personal information
Native nameAlen Hadžić
Born (1991-11-15) November 15, 1991 (age 32)[1]
Paterson, New Jersey
Sport
Weaponépée
Handright[2]
ClubFencers Club[3]
Former coachMichael Aufrichtig;
Alexey Cheremsky[4]

Alen Hadzic (Alen Hadžić; born November 15, 1991) is an American former épée fencer.[5] In 2023, he was ranked 361st in the world in men's epee. He had attended Montclair High School and Columbia University, competing for the fencing teams at both schools. A Title IX complaint of sexual abuse was lodged against him with the university, and after an investigation Hadzic was suspended by Columbia University for one year, and barred from the fencing team. Though he was banned from representing Columbia University, he wasn’t banned from fencing at large, and Hadzic went on to coach boys and girls on the Tappan Zee High School fencing team. In 2013 the lawyer for the woman who was the victim in Hadzic's Title IX case urged USA Fencing to bar Hadzic from competitions, referring to him as a "known rapist" and noting his suspension, but USA Fencing CEO Kris Ekeren asserted that Hadzic hadn’t violated any of USA Fencing's policies.

In June 2021, after three women accused Hadzic of committing sexual misconduct against them, and at least 10 witnesses supported the claimants' allegations, the U.S. Center for SafeSport temporarily suspended him from any fencing activities. But later that month an arbitrator lifted the temporary suspension until his investigation was complete. She opined that if Hadzic were to participate on the Olympic team, in her view it would not be “detrimental to the reputation of the United States or his sport.”

In the summer of 2021 he traveled to the Tokyo Olympics as an alternate on the men's épée team; he never did compete at the Olympics, however, and Hadzic was therefore not an Olympian. USA Fencing imposed a "safety plan" to keep him away from other athletes, including requiring Hadzic to stay at a remote hotel that was outside the Olympic Village where his teammates were housed. All 23 of his Team USA fencing teammates signed a statement calling for him to be banned from their accommodations for their safety. Hadzic appealed USA Fencing's safety plan, but lost. By July 2022, at least six women had filed claims of sexual misconduct, including rape, against Hadzic with SafeSport.

In June 2023, after an investigation of over two years, due to his sexual misconduct Hadzic was permanently banned by SafeSport from participating in any activity of or under the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. In December 2023, SafeSport’s decision to permanently ban Hadzic was upheld on appeal, ensuring that he is never again allowed to compete in [U.S.] fencing competitions. USA Fencing issued a statement saying that the decision: "should serve as a stern warning to everyone that conduct that is threatening, harmful or inappropriate toward anyone in our sport will not be tolerated."

Early years

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Hadzic was born in Paterson, New Jersey, to Admir Hadzic and Gorica Hadzic.[6] He later lived in West Orange, New Jersey.[5][7] He has Bosnian roots, and is fluent in Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian.[7]

He grew up in Montclair, New Jersey,[8] and attended Montclair High School ('10). There, he fenced épée for the fencing team.[9][10][11]

College

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Hadzic then attended Columbia University.[12][13][14] There, he fenced épée for two years for the Columbia Lions under head coach Michael Aufrichtig (who later served on the USA Fencing board of directors).[15][16][17][11] In 2011-12 fencing for Columbia, he had a record of 32-22.[18] Buzzfeed reported that Aufrichtig ignored several complaints about Hadzic's abusive behavior for years, and that while he was a member of the USA Fencing board of directors, Aufrichtig did not report complaints about Hadzic to other board members.[19] In Hadzic's last competition, he was given a black card for his extreme misbehavior while fencing at the NCAA NorthEast Regional, expelled from the tournament, and had all of his records in the tournament expunged.[20][21][22]

Title IX suspension

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While he was attending Columbia University, a complaint of sexual abuse by Hadzic as he pinned her down was lodged against him with the university by a student, and an investigation under Title IX was undertaken.[11][12][23][24] At the time, he already had a reputation for targeting drunk women at parties.[19] Due to the results of the investigation which found him responsible, Hadzic was suspended by Columbia University for the 2013-14 year, and kicked off the fencing team.[25][11][12][23] He later studied at the Vlerick Business School in Belgium.[26]

Fencing career

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2013–19

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Though Hadzic was banned from representing Columbia University, he wasn’t banned from fencing at large.[11] His club was the Fencers Club in New York City, with Alexey Cheremsky as his coach.[3][4]

In October 2013 the lawyer for the woman who was the victim in Hadzic's 2013 Title IX case urged USA Fencing to bar Hadzic from competitions, noting that Hadzic had been suspended from his university after an investigation into an accusation that he had sexually assaulted a woman.[27][28] Both the victim and Hadzic were USA Fencing members.[28] But USA Fencing CEO Kris Ekeren asserted to the attorney that Hadzic hadn’t violated any of USA Fencing's policies, inasmuch as Hadzic wasn’t a coach or authority figure, and the alleged conduct didn’t take place at a USA Fencing event.[27][28] The woman’s attorney called the decision an "intentional misreading" of USA Fencing's own Athlete’s Code of Conduct, which prohibited sexually inappropriate behavior between athletes, and wrote:

A plain reading of this Code of Conduct excerpt renders Mr. Hadzic unfit and thus ineligible to participate. How can the United States Fencing Association, in good conscience, claim its hands are tied and permit the participation of a known rapist into its athletic midst?[28]

Ekeren never responded to the attorney.[28]

In 2015, Hadzic was coaching both boys and girls on the Tappan Zee High School fencing team, in Orangeburg, New York.[29] That same year, a young woman said, Hadzic groped her.[24]

2020–21

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In June 2021, the U.S. Center for SafeSport temporarily suspended Hadzic from any fencing activities, after three women accused him of committing sexual misconduct against them, and at least 10 witnesses submitted statements supporting the claimants' allegations.[30][12][31] But later that month an arbitrator, who reviewed the suspension without hearing from any of Hadzic's accusers, though she left in place a directive for Hadzic not to contact his accusers, lifted the temporary suspension until his investigation was complete.[30][12][11][24] She did so, opining that if Hadzic were to participate on the Olympic team, in her view it would not be “detrimental to the reputation of the United States or his sport.”[30][12][11]

With his temporary suspension lifted for the moment, in the summer of 2021 he traveled to the Tokyo Olympics as an alternate on the men's épée team; he never did compete at all at the Olympics, however, and was therefore not an Olympian.[32][33][34][35] USA Fencing imposed a "safety plan" to keep Hadzic away from other athletes in Tokyo for their safety, including requiring him to fly to Tokyo separately from his teammates, requiring him to stay at a separate remote hotel that was outside the Olympic Village where his teammates were housed, and banning him from practicing near female teammates.[36][30][12][11] When Hadzic protested that it was unfair to keep him from staying in the Olympic Village where his teammates were staying, all 23 of his Team USA fencing teammates—unanimously—signed a statement calling for him to be banned from their accommodations, for their safety and well-being.[37][38] They wrote that they "vehemently oppose[d]" Hadzic living in the Olympic Village, saying:

We are all aware of the accusations of sexual assault raised against Alen. Many of us have been bystanders and/or witnesses to his conduct, over many years. We, the athletes, will feel extremely unsafe and uncomfortable should Alen be transferred to live in the Olympic Village. Hundreds of other US athletes, coaches, and staff, not to mention the thousands of international Olympic stakeholders staying in the village, will be unknowingly also put at risk due to Alen’s presence.[34]

Hadzic unsuccessfully appealed USA Fencing's safety plan, as an independent arbitrator ruled against him.[38][39][40]

While taking a team photo at the Games, three of Hadzic's Team USA teammates in protest wore pink Covid-19 masks, while standing next to him as he alone wore a black mask.[41][30][42][43][44] Hadzic reacted by later confronting two of the fencers, and chewing them out.[45][41] Hadzic's case garnered national attention, with women athletes speaking out against his ability to represent the U.S., and caused what Buzzfeed News called an "unprecedented uproar and backlash during ... [the] Games.[38] Nevertheless, Radical Fencing, his equipment sponsor, continued its relationship with him, supplying him with fencing equipment.[24]

After the Olympics, USA Fencing was heavily criticized by athletes and parents about the Hadzic debacle.[27][46] In a call between USA Fencing’s executives and board members about the Hadzic matter, at-large director David Alperstein waved off concerns, saying: "This will all blow over."[46] Its long-time CEO Kris Ekeren and general counsel Jim Neale subsequently resigned.[27][46][47]

In October 2021, USA Fencing blocked Hadzic from entering any competitions "for the foreseeable future, except to the extent it is legally compelled to do so."[48]

2022–present

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By July 2022, at least six women had filed claims of sexual misconduct, including rape, against Hadzic with SafeSport.[38] At least one said Hadzic had sex with her when she was a minor in high school, despite her repeatedly saying no.[38] That month SafeSport put in place safeguards that USA Fencing itself had already established a year prior to protect people in the fencing community, requiring Hadzic to not communicate in any way with what were now six victims, to not stay in the same hotel or housing as "any female athletes or coaches of the US delegation," and requiring him to have a chaperone when at fencing competitions.[38]

In 2023, he was ranked 361st in the world in men's epee.[2]

In June 2023, after an investigation of over two years, due to his sexual misconduct Hadzic was permanently banned by SafeSport, which also imposed no-contact directives upon him.[49][30][50][51][52] His ban prohibits him from participating "in any capacity, in any event, program, activity, or competition authorized by, organized by, or under the auspices of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the National Governing Bodies recognized by the USOPC, a Local Affiliated Organization as defined by the [SafeSport] Code, or at a facility under the exclusive jurisdiction of the same."[53]

In December 2023, SafeSport’s decision to permanently ban Hadzic was upheld on appeal, ensuring that he is never again allowed to compete in [U.S.] fencing competitions.[54] USA Fencing issued a statement saying that the decision: "should serve as a stern warning to everyone that conduct that is threatening, harmful or inappropriate toward anyone in our sport will not be tolerated."[54]

References

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  1. ^ "Hadzic Alen", FIE.org
  2. ^ a b "Hadzic Alen". The International Fencing Federation.
  3. ^ a b Jomantas, Nicole (May 9, 2021). "Khalil Thompson and Alen Hadzic Qualify as Replacement Athletes for Tokyo Games". USA Fencing.
  4. ^ a b "Congratulations January NAC Medalists". Fencers Club. 2016.
  5. ^ a b Jane Havsy (August 5, 2021). "Ready for the Olympics? Here's a complete list of Olympians with New Jersey ties". Morristown Daily Record.
  6. ^ "Alen Hadžić iz Goražda prvak SAD-a u mačevanju". Dnevni Avaz. July 7, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Carly Baldwin (July 12, 2021). "All The New Jersey Athletes Competing In The Tokyo Olympics". Middletown, NJ Patch.
  8. ^ "Alen Hadzic Is Men's Epee National Runner-Up; All Three Lion Men's Fencers are All-America", Columbia Lions, March 25, 2012. Accessed July 9, 2023. "The sophomore from Montclair, N.J., proceeded to stage a miracle comeback in the semifinals, rallying from a 12-7 deficit to Ohio State's Kristian Boyadzhiev by scoring seven consecutive touches for a 14-12 lead."
  9. ^ Wiener, Talia (June 9, 2021). "MHS grad on Olympic fencing team suspended for alleged misconduct". Montclair Local News.
  10. ^ Hochman, Louis C. (October 21, 2021). "Montclair grad Alen Hadzic barred from USA Fencing events, sexual misconduct inquiry continues". Montclair Local News.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Brianna Sacks, Melissa Segura (July 23, 2021). "A Fencer Made It To The Olympics In Spite Of Multiple Accusations Of Sexual Assault. His Teammates Say The System Is Broken". BuzzFeed News.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Longman, Jeré (July 22, 2021). "U.S. Olympic Fencer, Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Kept Apart From Team; Alen Hadzic of New Jersey is an alternate on the U.S. fencing team but has not been allowed to stay in the Olympic Village". The New York Times.
  13. ^ Niesen, Joan (July 23, 2021). "US fencer Alen Hadzic kept apart from team in Tokyo after sexual misconduct claims". The Guardian.
  14. ^ "Tokyo Olympics: US fencer accused of sexual misconduct barred from Olympic Village". Stuff. July 23, 2021.
  15. ^ "Crimson Fencers Head to New York City for St. John's Super Cup". Harvard University. January 21, 2011.
  16. ^ Ron Dicker (July 22, 2021). "U.S. Fencer Accused Of Sexual Misconduct Wants Tokyo Restrictions Lifted; The U.S. Olympic Committee and Fencing USA said the constraints were for safety reasons". HuffPost.
  17. ^ Steve DelVecchio (April 22, 2023). "U.S. Olympic fencer Alen Hadzic unhappy with isolation over sexual misconduct allegations". Yardbarker.
  18. ^ "Alen Hadzic - Fencing". Columbia University Athletics.
  19. ^ a b Kylie Cheung (July 26, 2021). "Who's really protected by the "safety plan" created for Olympic fencer accused of sexual assault; Alen Hadzic is under investigation for multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, but was still named to Team USA". Salon.
  20. ^ "Alen Hadzic and the Infinite Sadness". The Fencing Coach. April 1, 2013.
  21. ^ Jamie Striesend (2013). Sports, Lotus Press.
  22. ^ "USA Fencing Black Card Policy," USA Fencing.
  23. ^ a b Cheyenne Roundtree (July 31, 2021). "U.S. Men’s Fencing Team Dons Pink Masks in Protest of Teammate Accused of Sexual Misconduct; Alen Hadzic, an alternate, has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women. He said he asked his teammates for a pink mask to wear before he realized what they were doing.", The Daily Beast.
  24. ^ a b c d Bradford William Davis (July 22, 2021). "The US Olympic fencing team is in uproar over the handling of sexual-assault claims against one of its members". Business Insider.
  25. ^ Chris Cwik (October 1, 2021). "USA fencing executives resign after disastrous meeting to address sexual misconduct allegations". AOL.
  26. ^ Sayantani Nath (August 1, 2021). "Who is Alen Hadzic? Olympic fencer accused of sexual assault rebukes teammates for pink protest". MEAWW.
  27. ^ a b c d Wiener, Talia (June 13, 2022). "Hadzic, still subject of sexual misconduct inquiry, makes fencing's Senior World Team". Montclair Local News.
  28. ^ a b c d e Sacks, Brianna (October 21, 2021). "USA Fencing Is Blocking A Top Athlete From A Competition After Sexual Assault Accusations. It Took Eight Years And Widespread Outcry. "I'm relieved but confused as to why this didn't happen before the Olympics?" said a fencer who competed in Tokyo". BuzzFeed News.
  29. ^ "Area fencers hone their edge in national competition," Our Town, October 21, 2015, p. 17.
  30. ^ a b c d e f Nancy Armour (June 20, 2023). "Fencer Alen Hadzic, who went to Olympics despite sexual misconduct claims, has been banned; Alen Hadzic, who went to the Tokyo Games as an alternate while under investigation for sexual misconduct, declared permanently ineligible by U.S. Center for SafeSport". USA TODAY.
  31. ^ Harri Pirinen (July 25, 2021). "Seksuaalisesta ahdistelusta syytetyn urheilijan valinta Tokioon raivostuttaa Yhdysvalloissa – kongressiehdokkaan sarkastinen twiitti tiivisti tunnot". Ilta-Sanomat.
  32. ^ Jason Hahn (July 30, 2021). "U.S. Fencers Wear Pink Masks at Tokyo Olympics After Teammate Is Accused of Sexual Assault". People Magazine.
  33. ^ Tim Elbra (July 30, 2021). "USA's powerful protest against their own teammate". wwos.nine.com.au.
  34. ^ a b Wiener, Talia (July 27, 2021). "Lawyer: I still hope to block MHS grad Alen Hadzic from Olympics over sex misconduct allegations". Montclair Local News.
  35. ^ "Answering some Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Alen Hadzic Case". The Fencing Coach. August 11, 2021.
  36. ^ Khira Hickbottom, Mart Garbarini (August 5, 2021). "War on Women Report: ... U.S. Fencer at Olympics Despite Assault Allegations". Ms Magazine.
  37. ^ "US fencers wear pink masks after teammate accused of sexual misconduct". The Guardian. July 30, 2021.
  38. ^ a b c d e f Sacks, Brianna (July 9, 2022). "An Elite Fencer Under Investigation For Sexual Assault For More Than A Year Is Still Allowed To Compete; Six women have accused Alen Hadzic of sexual assault. More than a year later, there's no resolution in the case, and he is still allowed to compete". BuzzFeed News.
  39. ^ Kitchener, Caroline (September 17, 2021). "Fencer Alen Hadzic was accused of sexual misconduct — but went to Tokyo anyway. Women Olympians say they were not protected". The Lily.
  40. ^ Josh Peter (July 22, 2021). "US fencer accused of sexual misconduct loses appeal to move into Olympic Village at Tokyo Games". USA TODAY.
  41. ^ a b Longman, Jeré (July 31, 2021). "U.S. fencers wear pink masks to protest against teammate accused of sexual misconduct; Alen Hadzic, an alternate on the men's fencing team, was left wearing a black mask while three of his teammates wore pink ones during competition on Friday". The New York Times.
  42. ^ Brie Schwartz (July 31, 2021). "Members of the U.S. Men's Fencing Team Wore Pink Masks to Support Sexual Assault Victims; The team was reportedly protesting the presence of alternate Alen Hadzic, who has been accused of sexual impropriety". Oprah Daily.
  43. ^ "Tokyo 2020: ABD'li eskrimci istismarla suçlandı, Ibtihaj Muhammed tepkilere destek verdi; ABD Olimpiyat Eskrimcisi Alen Hadziç, cinsel istismar ile suçlandığı için Tokyo Olimpiyat Köyü'nde kalmasına izin verilmedi. ABD'yi temsil eden ilk Müslüman kadın olan Ibtihaj Muhammed, sosyal medya hesabından tepkilere destek verdi". Kronos Haber. August 1, 2021.
  44. ^ "東奧#MeToo：他涉嫌性侵女運動員，仍入選美國隊！隊友集體戴「粉紅口罩」抗議-風傳媒". Storm. August 2, 2021.
  45. ^ Josh Peter (August 2, 2021). "US fencer Alen Hadzic confronts teammates wearing pink masks in apparent protest of his inclusion on team". USA TODAY.
  46. ^ a b c Davis, Bradford William (September 30, 2021). "After sexual assault allegations rocked US fencing's Olympic team, one executive said the scandal would 'blow over.' Instead, the sport's top officials are resigning". Business Insider.
  47. ^ "USA Fencing officials resign over handling of misconduct allegations". Sports Business Journal. October 4, 2021.
  48. ^ Josh Peter (October 20, 2021). "USA Fencing blocking Alen Hadzic from entering events 'for the foreseeable future'". USA TODAY.
  49. ^ "Centralized Disciplinary Database; Alen Hadzic". U.S. Center for SafeSport.
  50. ^ "Suspendido el esgrimista que fue a los Juegos a pesar de estar denunciado por abusos sexuales; Sus compañeros protestaron durante los Juegos de Tokio por la presencia de Alen Hadzic en el equipo de espada de Estados Unidos. Ha sido suspendido tras dos años de investigación". MARCA. June 21, 2023.
  51. ^ Walsh, Erin (June 20, 2023). "2020 Olympic Fencer Alen Hadzic Permanently Banned over Alleged Sexual Misconduct". Bleacher Report.
  52. ^ "Suspendido Alen Hadzic, el esgrimista que fue a los JJOO de Tokio y estaba denunciado por abusos sexuales; El deportista cometió los presuntos delitos con tres mujeres entre 2013 y 2015.; El esgrimista Alen Hadzic es apartado de Tokio 2020 por presuntos abusos sexuales". 20minutos.es. June 21, 2023.
  53. ^ "USA Fencing Responds to U.S. Center for SafeSport's Decision Regarding Alen Hadzic". USA Fencing. June 20, 2023.
  54. ^ a b USA Fencing. ""The U.S. Center for SafeSport's decision to permanently ban Alen Hadzic was upheld on appeal, ensuring that he is never again allowed to compete in fencing competitions..."". Instagram. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
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