American fencer Curtis McDowald, who competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, will not be allowed to take part in USA Fencing events for five years.
In a message sent to members on August 29, USA Fencing stated that McDowald’s membership in USA Fencing has been canceled for five years due to several violations of the organization’s Code of Conduct and Athlete Code of Conduct, according to USA Today.
The notice stated that the 29-year-old may apply for reinstatement on August 29, 2030, provided that it is approved by the USA Fencing Board of Directors and the USA Fencing Grievance and Disciplinary Committee. The notice stated that the disciplinary matter’s judgment was made by the Grievance and Disciplinary Committee.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport website states that McDowald was placed on temporary suspension in 2023 due to accusations of misbehavior.
Congress established SafeSport as an independent body to protect Olympic athletes.
McDowald’s actions in 2023 hurt the men’s epee team’s hopes of making it to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. According to a press statement published at the time by USA Fencing, McDowald kicked a freestanding flag near the strip, “among other actions”, during Team USA’s semifinal battle in the Pan-American Senior Games.
Team USA received no qualifying points for the Paris Olympics as a result of the actions. The men’s epee team did not advance to the Paris Olympics.
McDowald started fencing at the age of 12 at the Peter Westbrook Foundation in Manhattan, New York, USA, according to the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
His mother, Demetria Goodwin, convinced him to take up the sport. Goodwin told GQ in 2021 that her friends assumed her sons would play basketball due to their slim build, but she had different plans.
When McDowald was 12, his mother enrolled him in the Peter Westbrook Foundation, a nonprofit formed by the first Black fencer to win an Olympic medal for Team USA.
He showed immediate potential, prompting older, accomplished fencers such as Benjamin Bratton to note not only his physical talent but also his perseverance.
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