Ukrainian athletes will not compete in disciplines with the Russians at the 2023 Fencing World Cup
The Ukrainian national team refused to compete in the individual disciplines of the 2023 World Fencing Championship, in which the Russians are represented. Mikhail Ilyashev, President of the Fencing Federation of Ukraine, told Suspіlna Sport about this.
The head of the federation said that Ukrainian athletes will completely miss the women’s tournament. Men will be able to participate in saber and foil fencing competitions. At the same time, the national team will be able to take part in team tournaments without restrictions, to which the Russians will not be allowed.
The World Championship will be held in Milan from 22 to 30 July. Seven Russian athletes have been nominated for it: Yana Bekmurzova, Polina Khaertdinova, Vadim Anokhin, Artem Sarkisyan, Alena Lisina, Anna Smirnova and Leyla Pirieva. The fencers will compete as individual neutral athletes.
In March, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) allowed Russian athletes to participate in tournaments in a neutral status. However, the organization later denied entry to many athletes, including Olympic champions Yana Yegoryan, Sofia Velikaya, Sofia Pozdnyakova and Olga Nikitina.
Source: Lenta
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