Russian and Belarusian Fencers Absent from Olympic Qualifiers: European Fencing Confederation

From April 26 to 28, qualifying fencing competitions will be held in Luxembourg, where six tickets to the Olympic Games will be played.

“Unfortunately, there are no Russian or Belarusian athletes here. The registration deadline has passed. It is not known why they are absent, there was no official letter that explains this,” said the President of the European Fencing Confederation, Giorgio Scarso AFP.

In December 2023, the IOC announced that athletes from Russia and Belarus would enter the Olympic Games in individual neutral status, subject to several criteria. At the same time, Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be allowed to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics, and will not be mentioned in the medal table.

Earlier, the President of the Russian Fencing Federation, Ilgar Mamedov, said that fencers would not be able to qualify for the Olympics.

“Not one Russian fencer will go to the Olympics. Our athletes go to the World Cup and Grand Prix levels – mostly young people who need this to prepare for the BRICS Games and the Friendship Games. Since we are representatives of martial arts, we need international sparring to understand our abilities in combat training. Regarding the Olympics, we have explained our principled position – we will not divide the team between those who like the West and those who, in their opinion, are “wrong Russians” – expressions Mamedova TASS.

At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Russian athletes won the overall medals in fencing, with three gold, four silver and one bronze medals to their credit.