World fencing puts Olympic sport in check

by time news

the fortune of Alisher Usmanov It is one of the largest in Russia and is among the hundred most important in the world. The oligarch, one of Putin’s faces in the world, was also the president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) until the war broke out in the Ukraine, a body he had controlled with a firm hand for the past thirteen years. Control that he continues to hold despite having taken a step back months ago. For this reason, no one in the world of fencing was surprised that last Friday, during the extraordinary Congress held in Switzerland, the return of Russian and Belarusian fencers to the competition was approved.

It is the first sport to adopt such a decision and opens the door for other federations to do the same in the coming weeks. The vote, not without controversy, had 46 votes against and 96 in favor, the majority – as ABC has learned – from countries close to the Russian orbit. With this movement, the green light is given to the participation of Russian and Belarusian shooters in the Paris 2024 qualification process, which begins at the beginning of April, and the existing consensus is broken up to now with the veto of these two countries after the outbreak of war more than a year ago.

«The message that was wanted to leave in the congress was quite clear. You had to eliminate the political part of the sport and not mix the two, but I honestly believe that they are mixed. Whether we like it or not, they are. Although he is separated, the influence that our former president (Usmanov) has is very great in many countries and they are the ones who have supported this decision, which has had many votes against. We will have to see now what consequences this has in the coming weeks, “he told ABC Jose Luis Abajo ‘Pirri’, President of the Spanish Fencing Federation, which focuses on the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

World Olympism raised the flag of the veto when the war broke out. They decided then that, just as economic sanctions on Russia and Belarus – which facilitated the invasion of Ukraine – flourished, athletes from those countries should be banned from sporting events. A firm mandate that began to crack a few weeks ago, when The United Nations asked the IOC to reconsider its decision so as not to discriminate against any athlete simply because of their nationality. «A year ago they decided that these athletes could not participate in any competition for reasons that have not changed at all. It’s more, the conflict has worsened. With which, if they decided that twelve months ago, we do not understand why they now leave the matter in the hands of the federations or why they continue without ruling on the issue of the Games, “says Pirri, upset by what happened these days.

invasion of Ukraine

The war provoked by Russia and facilitated by Belarus made the Olympic movement unite and prohibit the participation of athletes from those two countries in any sports competition.

opening pathway

Urged by the United Nations (it asks not to discriminate for reasons of nationality), the IOC opened a process a few weeks ago to explore the possible return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the different events on the calendar

opposition to return

Up to 34 nations, led by France and the Nordic countries, asked the IOC to scrap the idea of ​​reintegrating these athletes, threatening a possible boycott of the different competitions.

The decision of the FIE

The green light for Belarusian and Russian fencers to participate in the qualification for Paris 2024 puts the focus on what the rest of the federations will do a year and a half after the Olympic event

The FIE congress was followed with interest at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee, which maintains its ambiguity while athletes and countries experience the current situation with uncertainty. «We have taken note of the decision of the International Fencing Federation. Consultations with all stakeholders in the Olympic movement – ​​athletes, national committees and federations – are ongoing. In this context, it is important to note that participation in the Paris 2024 Games is not part of the discussionswhich are currently focused on the competitions that lie ahead, in which the international federations are the only authority,” a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee told ABC.

boycott on the horizon

Extraordinary congresses such as that of world fencing threaten to be reproduced in the coming weeks in many other sports with great Russian influence such as gymnastics, swimming or Olympic shooting. The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, asked last month for a veto in the Games for the two countries involved in the invasion. Petition supported by a total of 34 countries by sending a letter to the IOC on February 21. “While we recognize the autonomy of sports bodies, given the invasion of Ukraine and its ongoing devastation, we agree that the IOC’s proposal to explore a path back to competition for Russian and Belarusian athletes raises many questions. Above all, if it is feasible that they can compete as ‘neutral’ when are funded and supported directly by their states. In addition, we are concerned about the strong links and affiliations that exist between Russian athletes and the military – many are part of the military structure – and as long as these fundamental issues on a model of neutrality are not addressed, we do not agree on their return.” They pointed out in the letter, led by France, host of Paris 2024, or the United Kingdom, one of the strongest countries on the Olympic scene. A tug of war in which politics is gaining ground on sport and which places a possible boycott of competitions in which there are athletes from these countries, including the Games, on the horizon.

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