MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. Senior executives of the Fencing Federation of Russia (FFR) will participate in the 2023 FIE (the International Fencing Federation) Congress in Egypt this month, FFR President Ilgar Mamedov told TASS.

The FFR president said that he will be attending the FIE Congress in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el Sheikh jointly with Yekaterina Kondratyeva, who is a representative of the FFR department for international relations.

"All FIE members will be present at the Congress, which will be attended by me and Yekaterina Kondratyeva," Mamedov said.

TASS reported earlier that one of the issues on the agenda of the upcoming FIE Congress in Egypt is about Russia’s membership in the global organization of fencing sports.

"We expect that our issue would be addressed but I cannot say in what form," Mamedov said. "First of all, it is important for us to keep communicating with presidents of various [fencing] federations to make sure they remember that the FFR is one of the leading fencing federations in the world."

"Politicians, despite all of the present-day complications, continue interacting with representatives of various countries. The world of sports should follow the same pattern," the FFR president added.

On March 10, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international competitions under a neutral status and in line with recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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.

The International Fencing Federation followed IOC’s recommendations and did not issue neutral status permits to Russian fencers representing CSKA and Dinamo sports clubs. Only five Russian athletes took part in the 2023 European Fencing Championship in June.

Paris is scheduled to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games between July 26 and August 11, 2024.