24 Russian athletes will participate in the Fencing World Championship, set to take place in Tbilisi from July 22 to 30. Among the competitors will be Sofya Velikaya, Yana Egorian, Olga Nikitina, and Kamil Ibragimov – all of whom hold various military ranks.
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Two-time Olympic champion Sofya Velikaya is a major in the Russian Armed Forces. During the 2024 presidential election, she took part in Vladimir Putin's re-election campaign and was officially designated as his "trusted representative."
Two-time Olympic champion Yana Egorian holds the rank of lieutenant, while two-time world champion Kamil Ibragimov is a captain. Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Olga Nikitina is a praporshchik.
In March 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine and launched a full-scale war, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) temporarily banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in events under its jurisdiction. Starting in March 2023, they were allowed to compete under a neutral status (without their flag, emblem, or anthem). However, Velikaya, Egorian, and Nikitina had previously been denied neutral status due to their affiliation with Russia's Central Army Sports Club.
Because of her military status, 40-year-old Sofya Velikaya also missed the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Under the new policy of the International Fencing Federation, affiliation with military sports clubs is no longer a disqualifying factor for fencers seeking neutral status.
“We have repeatedly clarified that our athletes, who represent the Central Army Sports Club, are also members of the International Military Sports Council, which was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1991. In order to participate in the World Military Games – the Olympic-style tournament for military personnel held every four years – they must hold military ranks. Moreover, this practice is accepted in all leading fencing countries,” said Ilgar Mamedov, President of the Russian Fencing Federation and head coach of the national team, who thanked the FIE for its decision.
The President of the Ukrainian Fencing Federation, Mykhailo Illiashev, criticized the decision, calling it “a slap in the face not only to Ukrainian athletes but to the entire global sports community.”
“We said from the very beginning that this whole process of verifying the neutrality of Russian fencers is a farce. I hope this is now clear to all other foreign federations that pretended to treat the process seriously,” Illiashev added.
Ukraine has imposed personal sanctions on Sofya Velikaya and Yana Egorian. Velikaya stated that she is proud to be included on the sanctions list.
