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March 30, 2:04 p.m
A third country refused fencing tournaments “for years” because of Russia
The Danish federation stated that it did not agree with the decision of the FIE on the admission of Russians, because of which it would complicate the selection for the Olympics for its athletes, and canceled the international tournament in Copenhagen
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The Danish Fencing Federation has decided in the coming years, to the detriment of its own athletes, not to hold international tournaments due to disagreement with the admission of Russians and Belarusians. This was stated by the chairman of the board of the organization, Jan Sylvest Jensen, who quotes TV channel TV2.
On March 10, the international federation FIE allowed Russians and Belarusians to individual tournaments in a neutral status. After that, the World Cup stage was canceled in Germany, in Poland they promised to demand that potential participants condemn the special operation, and in Finland they decided not to hold the traditional tournament under the auspices of the FIE. The Danes canceled the international tournament in Copenhagen.
“We came to the conclusion that, unfortunately, we are not able to do this. We cannot do this when the current rules allow Russians and Belarusians to participate. We don’t see ourselves in it,” Jensen said.
The head of the Danish federation admitted that the representative of the organization was one of 46 who voted once morest the return of Russians and Belarusians (89 delegates voted for their participation), and 300 fencers called on the IOC not to return the Russians. “For athletes, this means long journeys and increased expenses to get to the Olympics. For Denmark, this means the risk of losing the tournament in the future and that we will not be able to hold a high-level tournament, ”Jensen added.
Poland claims to have successfully blackmailed the IOC with the threat of a boycott of the Games because of the Russians
On March 28, the IOC recommended to allow Russians and Belarusians in a neutral status, subject to a number of restrictions, which the head of the Russian Ministry of Sports, Oleg Matytsin, called discriminatory.
Denmark has previously hosted satellite-level minor tournaments in Copenhagen. Such tournaments should contribute to the development of fencing in certain regions, for participation in them points are awarded in the FIE rating.
Anna Satdinova.
