Despite numerous allegations of sexual assault, U.S. team fencer Allen Hajic (opens in new tab) has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. During Friday's match against Japan, three members of Hajic's epee team wore pink masks in an apparent protest against Hajic. (Hajic has denied the allegations and the matter is under investigation.)

BuzzFeed News first reported on the shocking circumstances of Hajic's trip to Tokyo (opens in new tab), despite several female fencers telling the Olympic Committee they were "seriously concerned" about Hajic's behavior in Tokyo, but the pink masks confirmed to fencing officials that it was a protest against Hajic and the looting he is accused of (opens in new tab). One fencer told BuzzFeed's Tasneem Nashrulla and Brianna Sacks: "They wanted to set themselves apart, that they would not stand for sexual assault and abuse against women. These athletes wanted to speak out when US Fencing and SafeSport failed."

In a Friday photo shared by former Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, Hajic stands behind his teammates:

Hajic was an epee alternate and would only compete if another teammate was sick or injured. The extra effort to protect Hadzic is yet another reminder of how different the rules are that apply to straight white males," Andrew Lawrence wrote in The Guardian.