The mother of fencer Bida, who escaped from Russia, announced the dismissal of her son from the Russian Guard
Elena Grishina, the mother of fencer Sergei Bida, who escaped from Russia, appreciated the desire of her son and his wife Violetta Bida to represent the United States at competitions. Her words are quoted by RIA Novosti.
“The most important thing is that they are not employees of the Russian Guard. They were fired on December 27,” Grishina said, adding that nothing prevents the athletes from competing for the United States.
Earlier it became known about the couple’s intention to obtain American citizenship and qualify for the 2024 Games in Paris. It was noted that they had secured the support of the Olympic Committee and the US Fencing Federation.
On December 26, 2023, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put the Bida fencers on the wanted list. They face up to ten years in prison under Article 337 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Unauthorized abandonment of a unit or place of service”). At the time of his departure, Sergei Bida was listed in Dynamo Moscow and had the rank of ensign of the Russian Guard. His wife was previously a serviceman of the Ministry of Defense in the capital’s CSKA.
Sergei Bida is a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the team epee fencing tournament. He also became the European champion three times in the team. Violetta Bida has silver medals at the World Championships and the European Championships in the team epee tournament.
Source: Lenta
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