Fencing | Russia does not send fencers to the Olympic qualifying competition – the host country Poland has an “unreasonable” demand

Russian the president of the fencing association told Russian media that it will not send fencers to the Olympic qualifying competition in Poland this month because the host country has an “unreasonable” condition, reports the AFP news agency.

“Will the Russian fencers participate in the Polish competition? Of course not, it cannot be accepted”, Ilgar Mamedov said to RIA Novosti.

The Women’s Foil Fencing World Cup starts on April 21.

The Polish Fencing Federation has said that in order to participate, Russian and Belarusian fencers must sign a statement saying they do not support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

According to AFP, in the statement, the athletes would resign from the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin and assure that they are not part of the Russian or Belarusian army or the security apparatus.

“The provocative conditions do not allow us to participate in the competition,” Mamedov told Russian newspaper Sport Express.

Read more: The most important fencing competition in Finland is canceled so that the Russians cannot participate

The Russians and Belarusian athletes have been subject to various sanctions in various sports since Russia began full-scale warfare in Ukraine in February 2022.

The International Fencing Federation decided last month that Russian and Belarusian athletes could return to international competitions. At the same time, fencing became the first Olympic sport to open its doors to Russians and Belarusians.

The sports federation’s decision enraged Ukraine. Ukraine received support from several countries that canceled fencing competitions because of the decision. Denmark, France and Germany have canceled all the international competitions on the competition calendar in which Russians and Belarusians could have participated.

International the Olympic Committee IOC recommended at the end of March that Russian and Belarusian athletes could return to international competitions as neutral athletes. After the IOC’s recommendation, it is up to the sports federations whether athletes from these countries can return to competitions in different sports.

No decision has been made regarding the right of Russians and Belarusians to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics. According to the IOC, at least athletes who “actively support war” and “athletes who work in the military or security organizations” would still be banned from competition. According to the Russian Olympic Committee, the conditions are discriminatory.