The Swedish Fencing Federation is raging! The reason for this is the admission of Russian athletes from Russia and Belarus in the Olympic qualification. The Swedish Fencing Association has now also announced that it will not hold two tournaments. President Otto Drakenberg emphasized in an association statement: “”It is completely out of the question that we organize competitions with the participation of these two countries when they have started a very bloody war in Ukraine.”
The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has been informed that the two FIE events will be withdrawn. The competitions were scheduled for September 16th and 17th in Stockholm. For the same reason, the German Fencing Association had already given back the World Cup in Tauberbischofsheim planned for the beginning of May on Thursday.
The world fencing federation announced just last Friday that Russian and Belarusian athletes are eligible for the Olympic qualification for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. Teams and delegates from the two countries can also take part in the competitions on the way to Paris . This decision was made by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) following a report by the industry service “inside the games” at an extraordinary congress held online.
The motion to allow Russian and Belarusian fencers to participate in individual competitions “subject to the conditions of neutrality and individual admission” was passed by 89 votes to 46, with one abstention. 85 delegates (with 51 votes against and three abstentions) voted to allow the Russian and Belarusian teams. 88 delegates were in favor of officials participating in the competitions (48 votes against, two abstentions).
The decision caused mixed feelings. While the Russian side naturally celebrated the decision, the US expressed “disappointment, frustration and concern – albeit not overly surprised”. On the other hand, there was jubilation on the Russian side “We will show our motivation and strength at the Olympics like never before. Russian fencing will still surprise many,” said the Russian Tokyo Olympic champion Sofja Velikaja according to media reports in her home country.