Ukraine sues International Fencing Federation for lifting Russian athlete ban
Training of the Ukrainian national team (Photo:REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
The Fencing Federation of Ukraine (FFU) has filed a lawsuit with the Lausanne Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), against the International Fencing Federation (FIE), for allowing Russian athletes to participate in international competitions, FFU said in a message on its website on April 3.
In lawsuit, Ukraine will challenge FIE’s decision to lift the ban from Russian and Belarusian athletes. After a year-long ban, fencers from these countries are once again allowed to participate in international competitions and Olympic qualifications.
FFU argues its position by stating that the FIE is violating its own charter.
“The Fencing Federation of Ukraine strongly condemns the decision of the FIE Congress to renew the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions,” said FFU head Mykhailo Ilyashev.
“It was adopted with numerous violations of the FIE Statutes, which raises many questions about its legality.”
Whatever the verdict CAS ultimately reaches, the decision will be final and impossible to appeal.
On March 27, The Fencing Federation of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian fencers were forbidden from taking pictures with a banner honoring athletes killed by Russian troops in the war.
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