A new scandal has erupted in the world of international sports. The Ukrainian Fencing Federation (UFF) has officially lodged a categorical protest against the European Fencing Confederation (EFC). The trigger for this harsh reaction was the verdict of the EFC Executive Committee, which decided to temporarily reinstate the membership of the federations of Russia and Belarus.
The decision was announced during an online meeting of the governing body. The Ukrainian side expressed deep outrage that European officials made concessions to the aggressor states against the backdrop of an ongoing war.
Bureaucratic trickery instead of a fair vote
According to RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement from the national Federation, Ukrainian experts describe the EFC's approach as "purely formalistic and bureaucratic." UFF President Mykhailo Ilyashev revealed the details of the intrigue: Russian and Belarusian representatives, realizing they would not gather enough votes for a direct return, changed their tactics.
Instead of trying to restore their rights, they submitted documents as entirely new members of the organization. This maneuver allowed them to exploit the specifics of the EFC statutes and legislative nuances in Luxembourg, where the confederation is registered.
"We are disappointed and surprised by the purely formalistic approach applied by the EFC Executive Committee. Given certain features of local Luxembourg legislation and the EFC statutes, they received temporary membership pending consideration of this issue at the EFC Congress," emphasized Mykhailo Ilyashev.
Neutral status and the final verdict at the Congress
It is important to note that the current decision does not yet guarantee a full comeback for athletes from Russia and Belarus to the international arena. The confederation's Executive Committee clarified that even if admitted to competitions, athletes will be able to compete exclusively in a neutral status, without flags or anthems.
The main battle for sports diplomats is yet to come. The final decision on the applications will be made at the EFC Congress. The Ukrainian side hopes that a more critical approach will be applied there to the "so-called new member candidates".
"This does not indicate their final return. I hope that at the EFC Congress, the aforementioned membership applications will be rejected. We will work actively on this," concluded the head of the UFF.
The situation in fencing is developing against the backdrop of other major events in the sports world. Earlier, it was reported that FIFA had admitted Russia to participate in the new World Cup, which also caused a wide resonance.