| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Modern pentathlon | ||
| Competitor for Soviet Union | ||
| Gold | 1972 Munich | Team |
| Silver | 1968 Mexico City | Team |
| Silver | 1972 Munich | Individual |
Boris Onishchenko (Борис Григорьевич Онищенко; also transliterated as Onyshchenko, Onishenko, Onischenko; born September 19, 1937) is a former Ukrainian/Soviet modern pentathlete who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
He was a member of the Soviet Union's modern pentathlon team in the 1976 Summer Olympics, infamous for being disqualified for cheating.
Having already earned his country an Olympic medal earlier in Mexico City and Munich, Onishchenko entered the event as 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 out of his competitors and was favored to win.
During Onishchenko's bout with their captain, Jim Fox, the British team protested that Onishchenko's weapon had gone off without actually hitting anything.[1] The director confiscated the Soviet's weapon and brought it to the bout committee, where an illegal modification to the grip was discovered. The bout was allowed to continue, and despite using an unmodified sword, Boris still won by a large margin.
He was disqualified from the competition afterwards, and the Soviet Union were forced to withdraw from the team event as a result. The British team that exposed Onishchenko went on to win the gold medal.
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 his épée had been modified to include a switch that allowed him to close this circuit without actually depressing the tip of his weapon, so Onishchenko could get away with this form of cheating if it appeared to onlookers that he had struck anything at all.
Newspapers decried him as "Disonischenko" and "Boris the Cheat". Onishchenko earned the enmity of other Soviet Olympic team members: for example, the USSR volleyball team members threatened to throw him out of the hotel's window if they met him.[2]