2008 Olympic champion Ukrainian saber fencer Olga Harlan criticized the International Fencing Federation (FIE) on her social networks for allowing Russians to return to the competition.
“It seems that the return of Russian and Belarusian fencers to competitions is not only possible, but also a priority! I have been fencing for 23 years and this is my fifth Olympic qualification and the eligibility criteria have not changed for any reason just because of one country. Such a decision has never been taken before and is completely disrespectful to athletes,” Harlan wrote.
This year the FIE decided to extradite Russian and Belarusian fencers. It should come into effect from the second half of April 2023 for the World Fencing Championships to be held in Milan in July.
It was learned the other day that Olympic fencing champions Sofia Pozdnyakova, Yana Yegoryan and Sofia Velikaya were not allowed to participate in international competitions, despite the return of the Russians. The list of ineligibles included other domestic fencers.
Earlier Oleg MatytsinHe prosecuted the International Fencing Federation for violating the rights of Russians.
Source: Gazeta
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