LAUSANNE, March 10. /TASS/. The International Fencing Union (FIE) has ruled to allow athletes representing Russia’s national junior teams to compete neutrally under the union-sanctioned international team events, the FIE’s press office said in a statement on Monday.
A decision was made on behalf of the FIE Executive Board, which ruled that fencers representing Russia would be able to participate in the Wuxi 2025 Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships in China between April 7 and 15.
The national team of Russian athletes was cleared to take part in the tournament under the neutral status flying the colors of the official FIE flag.
According to FIE’s official website: "The 2025 Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships taking place in Wuxi, China from April 7-15. More than 1,000 fencers from as many as 100 countries will compete for 18 gold medals, including women’s and men’s individual and team events in epee, foil and sabre."
On March 10, 2024, 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 in January 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 FIE followed the IOC’s recommendations and did not issue neutral status permits to Russian fencers representing top Russian sports franchises CSKA and Dinamo.
IOC sanctions against Russia, Belarus
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to prohibit athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating 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.
In late March, 2023, the IOC recommended allowing individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international sports tournaments, but only under specific conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status. Russia and Belarus were also banned from participating in international team events.
On October 12, 2023, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) until further notice after the Russian organization included the Olympic councils of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions as its members.