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Estonia loses European fencing championship
(MENAFN) Estonia has been stripped of its right to host the European Fencing Championship this June after refusing to guarantee access for Russian and Belarusian athletes, the head of the country’s fencing federation confirmed.
Tallinn was awarded the hosting rights in 2024 but faced complications last year after the International Fencing Federation (FIE) simplified rules for “neutral” athletes to participate. The FIE requested written assurances from Estonia that all athletes would be allowed entry regardless of nationality or military affiliation. Tallinn refused, explicitly stating it would deny visas to competitors from Russia and Belarus under any circumstances.
As a result, Estonia lost the hosting rights, a decision confirmed by Aivar Paalberg, Secretary General of the Estonian Fencing Federation (EVL). The FIE made the decision on January 14 but only informed Tallinn recently. The championship will now be held in France, Paalberg added.
According to Paalberg, the FIE’s updated rules required only that neutral athletes “sign a declaration that you are against war,” without background checks. “Basically, you can also be a military officer and say that you are against the war – for a neutral person, that’s enough,” he explained. International officials, including the European Fencing Federation president and secretary general, had pressed Estonia to accept the new rules and sign the guarantees. Paalberg noted that the pressure was political rather than organizational.
Since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from most international competitions, including the Olympics and Paralympics. Some sporting bodies have allowed participation under neutral flags, while others have maintained or lifted bans depending on the organization.
Tallinn was awarded the hosting rights in 2024 but faced complications last year after the International Fencing Federation (FIE) simplified rules for “neutral” athletes to participate. The FIE requested written assurances from Estonia that all athletes would be allowed entry regardless of nationality or military affiliation. Tallinn refused, explicitly stating it would deny visas to competitors from Russia and Belarus under any circumstances.
As a result, Estonia lost the hosting rights, a decision confirmed by Aivar Paalberg, Secretary General of the Estonian Fencing Federation (EVL). The FIE made the decision on January 14 but only informed Tallinn recently. The championship will now be held in France, Paalberg added.
According to Paalberg, the FIE’s updated rules required only that neutral athletes “sign a declaration that you are against war,” without background checks. “Basically, you can also be a military officer and say that you are against the war – for a neutral person, that’s enough,” he explained. International officials, including the European Fencing Federation president and secretary general, had pressed Estonia to accept the new rules and sign the guarantees. Paalberg noted that the pressure was political rather than organizational.
Since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from most international competitions, including the Olympics and Paralympics. Some sporting bodies have allowed participation under neutral flags, while others have maintained or lifted bans depending on the organization.
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