Poland requests russian atheletes to denounce war to be admitted to Fencing World Cup

If russian and belarusian fencers sign a statement that they do not support russian aggression in Ukraine, then Poland is ready to admit them to the World Cup.

The Polish Fencing Association reports this.

The press service noted that the Polish Fencing Association plans to organize the World Cup in Poznań, observing the rules for the admission of participants from russia and belarus.

At the same time, Poland reserves the right to strictly control the fulfillment of all the listed criteria by competitors of both countries.

To carry out such control, players and support staff who possess a russian or belarusian passport will have to submit a written statement in which they state that:

• they do not support the war in Ukraine, which is a gross violation of international law and international treaties;
• meet the conditions of neutrality, that is, they are not related to the regime of vladimir putin, against whom the International Criminal Court in the Hague issued an arrest warrant as a person suspected of committing war crimes in Ukraine;
• are not military personnel or do not work in the russian or belarusian military or national security agencies.

In addition, it is forbidden to display flags, anthems, national colors, or any other distinguishing signs of russia and belarus during the competition in Poznań, including the entire sports hall.

Official representatives of the russian and belarusian states or governments will not be invited or accredited to the competition in Poznań.

It should be noted that the International Fencing Federation admitted athletes from the russian federation and belarus to international competitions at an extraordinary congress.

Later, Poland, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and France refused to host the tournaments.

In addition, three hundred fencers called on officials to cancel the return of the russian federation and belarus.

For reference:

The Ukrainian government adopted a decision prohibiting Ukrainian athletes from competing in tournaments where athletes from the russian federation or belarus will be represented. This decision applies to all competitions, including qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympics.

This decision is the response of the Ukrainian Government to the updated recommendations of the IOC regarding the participation of athletes from russia and belarus in competitions.

The International Olympic Committee criticized Ukraine's decision to ban its athletes from taking part in the 2024 Paris Olympics.