More than 400 fencers oppose simplification of Russians’ access to competitions
18 July 2025 17:27
447 fencers from 40 countries have signed an open letter against the decision of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) to simplify the procedure for verifying the “neutrality” of athletes from Russia and Belarus. The letter was published by Ukrainian fencer Olga Harlan on her Instagram, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The signatories condemned two key decisions of the FIE:
- the abolition of neutrality checks for athletes from Russia before granting them the appropriate status;
- allowing these athletes to compete as part of the same team.
The authors of the letter emphasized that these actions contradict current IOC recommendations. Ignoring these recommendations could, in their opinion, lead to the FIE losing its Olympic status, as has already happened to the International Boxing Federation.
“We do not agree with the new criteria for the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes. We have not been consulted on this, so we are forced to publicly state our position,” the statement reads.
Among the signatories: 339 are current athletes, 208 have allowed their names to be made public. The letter was published by the sports human rights organization Global Athlete.
The Bureau of the European Fencing Confederation (EFC) also sent an open letter to the FIE, calling for compliance with the IOC’s recommendations and recalling the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. In the document, the EFC expressed its readiness to engage in a dialogue with the FIE.
The World Fencing Championships will be held in Tbilisi from July 22 to 26. One of those admitted to the competition is Russian Sofya Velikaya, a major in the Russian armed forces and Putin’s confidant in the 2024 presidential election.
