Germany cancels World Cup fencing event over admission of Belarusians, Russians – reports

May 6, BPN. Germany has canceled the men’s World Cup fencing event in Bonn over the admission of athletes from Belarus and Russia to the international competitions, Süddeutsche Zeitung reports.

Gudrun Nettersheim, president of Bonn’s Olympic Fencing Club, linked the decision to the ongoing “inhuman war” against Ukraine.

All national and international sports organizations should be united by a clear anti-war stance rather than taking an individual approach, she said.

The Bonn fencing event was scheduled between November 10 and 12. In 2022, a total of 261 fencers from 48 countries competed for the title of the Lion of Bonn.

After Russia’s new assault on Ukraine in late February 2022, the IOC called on the international sports federations not to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete. That call was immediately answered on a mass scale and resulted in almost complete isolation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

In late March 2023, the IOC said that Belarusian and Russian athletes might be admitted to international competitions under a neutral flag on condition that they are not actively involved in supporting military operations and are not linked to the military.

The International Fencing Federation allowed Belarusian and Russian fencers to compete in neutral status. In response, the Polish Fencing Federation canceled its women’s World Cup event in solidarity with Ukraine.