MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. The Polish Fencing Federation (PFF) is waiting for a detailed explanation from the International Fencing Federation (FIE) regarding Russia’s potential neutral-status participation in the World Cup stage in Poland next month, a PFF spokesperson told TASS on Friday.
The FIE announced its decision last week to allow athletes representing Russia and Belarus to participate in FIE-authorized international tournaments under a neutral status. On March 14, the Polish consulate general in Moscow stated that Russian fencers were currently ineligible to obtain Polish entry visas.
"We are waiting for the official interpretation of the resolutions adopted at the FIE Extraordinary Congress regarding, among [other things], determining the neutrality of competitors admitted to the competition," the spokesperson told TASS.
"Such an interpretation is necessary for the presentation to the Polish authorities who decide on granting entry visas," he continued. "I confirm that we are ready to host the World Cup in Poznan. However, any decision can only be made after receiving appropriate and necessary clarifications from the FIE regarding the issues arising from the Extraordinary Congress decision."
"Depending on these explanations the Polish Fencing Federation does not exclude resignation from the organization of the World Cup in Poznan," the spokesperson for the PFF added.
The 2023 Coupe du Monde, which is one of the FIE World Cup stages for women’s foil fencing, is scheduled to be hosted by the Polish city of Poznan between April 21 and 23.
The German Fencing Federation announced on March 16 that it would bow out of organizing one of the FIE World Cup tournaments, because the global fencing federation allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete internationally under a neutral status.
The decision to clear Russian and Belarusian athletes for participation in international fencing sports competitions was made on March 10 at the FIE Extraordinary Congress, which was held in an online format.
At its session on January 25, 2023, the IOC Executive Board put forward a proposal to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Athletes from the countries in question should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status.
IOC’s ban on Russia’s international participation
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.