Montclair High Grad Going To Olympics Following Suspension

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Current West Orange-resident and Montclair High graduate Alen Hadzic will be part of the USA Fencing National Team when the Summer Olympics begin in Tokyo later this week, a spokesman for USA Fencing confirmed to Patch.

Hadzic, 29, who has qualified as a replacement athlete on the Men's Epee Team, was suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport on June 2 in connection with an investigation, according to Nicole Jomantas, director of communications for USA Fencing. MontclairLocal.com reported the suspension was for allegations of misconduct.

On June 28, following an arbitration hearing, SafeSport removed the temporary suspension pending the completion of an investigation.

"By doing so, Mr. Hadzic's eligibility as a replacement athlete for the Olympic Games was restored. The Center's jurisdiction over the Hadzic matter is exclusive," Jomantas wrote in an email to Patch.

According to its website, SafeSport was established in 2017 and soon became federally authorized under the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017. Under that law, the organization develops resources and policies to safeguard athletes from bullying, harassment, hazing, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and sexual misconduct.

The law entrusts the U.S. Center for SafeSport as the exclusive authority to respond to reports of allegations of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct within the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and their recognized National Governing Bodies.

Hadzic, who competed collegiately at Columbia University, qualified as an Olympic replacement due to his position as the No. 4 athlete on the USA Fencing National Team point standings after the final qualifying event on May 7, USA Fencing said. Points are earned in a number of designated national and international events.

"Qualification for the team is based on the point standings. Discretionary criteria are not utilized in team selection," Jomantas told Patch.

As a replacement athlete, Hadzic is training with the team and traveling to the Olympics, but would not compete unless a teammate is injured or forced to withdraw from competition for another reason.

MontclairLocal.news reported in late June that an investigation is ongoing into allegations of misconduct against Hadzic, which was confirmed by his lawyer Russell Prince and in a USA Fencing announcement sent to members of the fencing community and shared with the publication.

According to Prince, the lawyer: "The judge threw out (Hadzic's) suspension as being inappropriate during the pendency of the investigation. The judge simply thought the center did not have a basis for suspension."

MontclairLocal.news also reported that Hadzic's June 2 suspension was listed on SafeSport's Centralized Disciplinary Database at one point, though no details about the nature of the misconduct allegations were listed. The listing was removed after the suspension was lifted.

A spokesperson for SafeSport told MontclairLocal.news that it was not unusual for a suspension to be lifted while an investigation continues.

"Temporary measures are used by SafeSport while an investigation is ongoing and are not an indication of what the ending of the investigation will ultimately uncover," the SafeSport spokesperson said.

According to Hadzic's profile on USAFencing.org, the 6-foot-3, 170-pounder won Gold in the May 2021 North American Cup (Division I) and finished 16th in the January 2020 North American Cup (Division I). He previously was part of the 2013 World University Games and the 2010 Junior World Championship.

The profile states that Hadzic has a bachelor's degree in financial economics from Columbia.