Boris Onishchenko
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| Full name | Борис Григорьевич Онищенко | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 September 1937 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Kiev, Ukraine | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 74 kg (163 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Soviet Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Modern pentathlon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Boris Grigoryevich Onishchenko (Борис Григорьевич Онищенко; also transliterated as Onyshchenko, Onishenko, Onischenko; born 19 September 1937) is a former Soviet modern pentathlete who competed at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. Being a multiple Olympic and world champion he was disqualified for cheating at the 1976 Summer Olympics and banned for life from sports.
Having already earned his country an Olympic medal earlier in Mexico City and Munich, Onishchenko entered the event as a three-time world champion and a sportsman respected by his fellow Olympians. After the first event of the pentathlon, the Soviet team found itself in fourth place, trailing closely behind Britain. Fencing was the next event: a one-touch épée tournament. Onishchenko was considered the finest fencer among his competitors and was favored to win his matches.
During Onishchenko's bout with British team captain Jim Fox, the British team protested that Onishchenko's weapon had gone off without actually hitting anything. The competition director seized Onischenko's weapon and brought it to the bout committee. The bout was allowed to continue, and despite using an unmodified sword, he still won by a large margin.
In electric épée fencing, a touch is registered on the scoring box when the tip of the weapon is depressed with a force of 750 grams, completing a circuit formed by the weapon, body cord, and box. It was found that Onischenko's épée had been illegally modified to include a switch that allowed him to close this circuit without actually depressing the tip of his weapon, so he could register a touch without making any contact on his opponent. Onischenko was ejected from the competition, which forced the Soviet Union to scratch from the team event. The British team that exposed Onishchenko went on to win the gold medal.
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