A day after the publication in "Israel Today", about the fact that the IDF does not allow five athletes to go to the European Championships in Turkey in fencing because of the security situation and warnings of attacks, the union and especially the athletes, are trying to digest the news.
One of the fencers who was scheduled to board the flight today (Wednesday) and will eventually remain at home in Maalot, is 19-year-old Nicole Fagin, who is considered the biggest talent in the industry today.
Fagin only last April won the silver medal at the World Youth Championships and is a major part of the women’s stab team, trying to achieve the criteria for the Paris Olympics.
"Even after two years of Corona without competitions, they also took it from us," Fagin told Israel Today.
"It's just awful. Really disappointing. We're also coming as a team as world champions for girls and also looking ahead, in a month's world championships in Cairo and who will promise us we'll get there?"
How did you receive the gospel?
"Just as I finished the morning training, as part of the preparations for the European Championships, I was informed and it was a market. Something that is being worked on all year. It was also supposed to be the European Championships for my first seniors and it really sucks."
Nicole Fagin.
Headache, Photo: Nicole Fagin
"This is also the fourth time that we have canceled competitions for all sorts of political reasons. The competition - the statistics are really against us. "
"That's not all, even for the World Youth Championship in Dubai, we got approval just two days before, so I have another year and a half in the army and do not know what else will happen."
So how do others feel about receiving such a message?
"Really bastardized, like I got a headache that just everything goes down the drain, and you don't have much to do with it. When half the team stabbed girls didn't fly, leave them like that."
Five fencers serving in the IDF received a letter banning them from leaving the country, Photo: Augusto Bizi, courtesy of the Israel Fencing Association
And that was supposed to be an important championship
"We are two years ahead of Paris, and every competition is a matter of getting into the Olympics or not. It is absurd to miss such a big competition, which also affects us at the World Championships."
But can you understand the decision?
"If I do not look from my eyes, then yes understand the decision, but it's not that we fly with uniforms, send everyone and only not the soldiers. We are all waiters, not even officials. Not that we have any classified information. We also do not contact to travel, These are from the hotel and the competition hall. "
Now look ahead
"Hoping we get to the World Championships and in two more years hope to get to the Olympics with the whole team, first time as a team and it was very helpful with us flying to the European Championships, which probably won't happen anymore."
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