Sawt Falasteen - Fencing in turmoil after Poles cancel World Cup event over Russia

"We cannot organise this event under the FIE conditions" who "impose" the welcoming of Russian athletes Adam Konopka, vice-president of the Polish Fencing Federation (PFSz) told AFP.

The decision might be met with raised eyebrows as only on Sunday the Russian fencing federation president Ilgar Mamedov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying Russian fencers would not be going to the event because they would have been subject to "provocative conditions".

These included Russian and Belarusian athletes having to sign a statement saying "they do not support the war in Ukraine, which is a flagrant violation of international law and international treaties".

Mamedov said on Wednesday the Poles had had to cancel the event as the conditions they had laid down had not been in line with the demands of the international federation.

"It is important that nobody interferes with our athletes appearing," he told TASS.

"If obstacles are put in their way, then these events cannot be organised on an even footing for everybody.

"As a consequence, these competitions will be cancelled."

Fencing -- in which IOC president Thomas Bach won a team gold for West Germany in the 1976 Montreal Olympics -- has been in turmoil since the FIE and its interim president Emmanuel Katsiadakis declared last month that the sport's powerhouses Russia could return.

Belarus, who are allies of Russia, were also invited back.

The FIE pre-empted last week's recommendation by the IOC to readmit Russian and Belarusian atlhetes back into global sport -- after largely being banned since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

This opens the way to them at least being able to qualify for the Olympics -- although no decision has been taken as to whether they will be able to compete.

- 'Games of peace' -

The FIE and Bach were subject to a hard-hitting letter last Tuesday signed by over 300 present and past fencers accusing them of placing Russian interests above those of the Ukrainians.

The cancellation of the Poznan round of the women's World Cup, which was to take place on April 21-24, follows that of an event in Germany -- the added significance being that both were to be qualifiers for next year's Paris Olympics.

There remain only three such events where qualifying standards can be achieved.

One of those is in the Georgian city of Batumi on May12-13, and that has the green light from the hosts.

"The event will take place as planned," Georgia's fencing federation chair Merab Bazadze told AFP, but he said the Russians would have to compete as neutrals.

"In case Russian and Belarussian athletes opt to come to Batumi -– something we are not in a position to forbid -– they will have to compete without their national flags and anthems."

The men's World Cup has also been affected with France cancelling May's World Cup leg in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses -- it too was to be an Olympic qualifier.

The Poles have been one of Ukraine's staunchest allies since the Russian invasion and President Andrzej Duda took a swipe at Bach at a ceremony on Monday celebrating the European Games which Poland are hosting.

Russia and Belarus have been barred from the Games, which run from June 21 to July 2.

"As the host of the European Games I will be able to look in the eye of (Ukrainian) President Volodymyr Zelensky and tell him: 'Volodymyr, these Games are going to be the Games of peace and the Games of calm with no pretence, with no imitation that everything is all right.'"

T.Ibrahim--SF-PST