Stankevich VS Krustev & more - what happened at Sofia Longsword Open 2025

Let's hope this video clears things up a bit about what happened at Sofia Longsword Open and why Alexander Stankevich is not welcome here anymore.

To be perfectly clear - Alexander Stankevich got yellow-carded multiple times, and received a red in our match. He probably should've gotten a black and we are correcting our procedures to account for such issues.

No one should blame the refs - they are prepared for what we prepared them for - any their successes are their own (and they did great at judging the actual fencing) and all of their few failures are entirely on us as their instructors and organizers.

Stankevich lost all of his matches. Mate Kalman Nagy also has a bruised arm. Multiple fencers noticed Sasha's behaviour and lack of control. Yes, he should've been carded more and earlier. Yes, I did not defend myself well and that is my mistake too. Yes, I did hit him in the BoH (I'd say with control) and i got a yellow for it. At this point I was treating him as dangerous and wanted to cover myself for sure. No, we haven't had such blatant disrespect for the rules and safety of fellow fencers in any of our previous tournaments.

Everything I say in this video is based on how I experienced the match and how it looked to me when reviewing the footage afterward.

I’m not claiming to know what was in anyone’s head, and I’m not making legal accusations. I’m sharing my concerns in the interest of community safety and accountability. Take it as one fencer’s point of view—not a verdict.

And thanks to anyone who reached out to check on me!