FIE-approved Russian fencers will not compete in international tournaments
The Russian Fencing Federation (FFR) made a statement about the performance of athletes at international tournaments. The words of the head of the organization, Ilgar Mammadov, are reported by Match TV.
Mammadov said that the International Fencing Federation (FIE) received a list of athletes, representatives of the coaching staff, medical personnel and referees who were allowed to participate in the starts. “However, our reaction to this list is the same as to the first: we are not going to divide our team and send someone to international competitions,” he stressed.
The head of the FFR noted that there is no dialogue with the FIE. “The Olympics are getting further and further away from us with each new tournament,” he added.
On May 11, it became known that the FIE banned Olympic champions Sofia Velikaya, Yana Yegoryan, Sofia Pozdnyakova, Olga Nikitina and nine other saber fencers from participating in competitions. “We consider it absolutely wrong to try to condition their participation in international competitions on some political requirements,” Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian President, voiced the Kremlin’s position on this situation.
On March 10, the FIE allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international tournaments in a neutral status. However, the process of returning to the starts was delayed due to the nuances of the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee.
Source: Lenta
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
