International Fencing Union Lifts All Restrictions on Russian and Belarusian Fencers

GENEVA, June 2. /TASS/. The International Fencing Union (FIE) has scrapped all previously imposed restrictions on Russian and Belarusian national fencers, allowing them to compete in international tournaments under the national flag and to the tune of the country’s anthem, the FIE said in a statement on Tuesday.

Russian athletes are now allowed to participate under the colors and national symbols of their country at the 2026 FIE World Championships in China’s Hong Kong on July 22-30.

The next international fencing competition, however, is the 2026 European Fencing Championships in France on June 16-21, and the European Fencing Confederation is yet to make a decision regarding the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in that event.

"In December 2025, the FIE was one of the first international Olympic sports federations to allow Russian juniors and cadets to participate in its tournaments without restrictions," Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Mikhail Degtyarev stated on his Telegram channel.

"Exactly at that time, our fencers began showing decent results at the junior stages of the World Cup - the flag was raised many times and the anthem of the Russian Federation was played," he continued.

"Later on, our women's junior sabre fencing team won the gold at the World Championships in team competitions in Brazil, and then at the European Championships in Tbilisi [Georgia], the Russian team performed under the national flag and finished in the top of the overall medals standings," Degtyarev added.

Fencers from Russia and Belarus were previously barred from all FIE competitions due to the developments in Ukraine starting in 2022. In March 2024, the 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). In December 2025, the FIE allowed Russian youth fencers to compete in international tournaments under the national flag and to the tune of the country’s anthem.

In December 2025, the IOC Executive Board issued recommendations that allowed athletes in international federations from Russia and Belarus to participate in youth disciplines under the national flags and anthems. This recommendation applied to both individual and team sports. Numerous international sports federations followed the proposal.