The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to return to international competitions, according to the Inside the Games portal. This decision will allow athletes to participate in qualifying competitions ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
By decision of the extraordinary congress of the federation, Russian and Belarusian athletes will participate in individual competitions under the auspices of the FIE under a neutral flag. 89 delegates voted in favor of this decision, 46 voted against.
The decision should come into force from the second half of April. The World Fencing Championship will be held in Milan in July.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from participating in FIE events since March last year due to the war in Ukraine, in accordance with IOC recommendations.
The invasion of Ukraine also saw oligarch Alisher Usmanov resign as FIE president after the European Union imposed sanctions on him, and Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), was removed from his post as head of the European Fencing Confederation.