MOSCOW, June 14. /TASS/. Six Russians will participate in the 2023 European Fencing Championships as neutral athletes, the press service of the Russian Fencing Federation has said.
Yana Bekmurzova, Artyom Sarkisyan and Polina Haertdinova will take part in the epee discipline, while Valeria Kobzeva, Alyona Lisina and Anna Smirnova will enter the sabre competition. No Russian athletes are enlisted for the foil fencing tournament.
The 2023 European Fencing Championships will be held in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv on June 16-18.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended on March 28 that international federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral status, while they would not be able to take part in team events. Athletes also should not be supporters of the special military operation or be affiliated with the armed forces or national security agencies.
The International Fencing Federation (FIE) followed these guidelines, denying neutral status to Russian fencers from the CSKA and Dynamo sporting associations.