MOSCOW, May 11. /TASS/. Russian fencers will take part in international tournaments only if they can do so under conditions that are equal to those enjoyed by athletes from other countries, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Stanislav Pozdnyakov stated on his Telegram channel on Thursday.

Russian Fencing Federation (FFR) President Ilgar Mamedov told TASS earlier in the day that the International Fencing Federation (FIE) had decided to bar several well-known Russian fencers from international tournaments, including Olympic champions Sofia Velikaya, Yana Yegoryan and Sofia Pozdnyakova.

"If speaking about the sport of fencing in particular, I have repeatedly discussed with the national team’s members the proposed format for their return [to competing internationally]," Pozdnyakov said. "I can say that none of them have ever considered or are considering now the previously proposed option of participating in international tournaments under the current restrictions."

"Our common stance remains steadfast, [that is,] our fencers will participate only based on an equal footing with athletes representing other countries, without any contrived and illegitimate parameters and other artificial obstacles," the ROC chief said.

The decision to green-light Russian and Belarusian athletes for participation in international fencing sports competitions was made on March 10 at an extraordinary congress of the FIE, which was held in an online format. In late March, the Ukrainian Fencing Federation (UFF) lodged an appeal with the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the FIE’s ruling.

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.