The association announced the cancellation of the World Cup event in a statement earlier this week.
The competition had been scheduled to take place from April 21 to 23 in the western Polish city of Poznań, broadcaster Eurosport reported.
The PZS said in the statement that “due to the decision by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) to change the rules regarding the qualification of athletes and support staff with Russian and Belarusian passports for the World Cup event for women’s foil, scheduled to be held in Poznań, the PZS board is forced to cancel this competition.”
Last month, the FIE voted to allow Russian and Belarusian fencers to return to competition from mid-April “as neutral athletes without national symbols,” the AP news agency has reported.
The move was in keeping with efforts by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to create a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition, after they were sanctioned because of the invasion of Ukraine, according to the AP.
For the event in Poznań, Poland’s PZS had asked Russian and Belarusian fencers to submit written statements declaring that they did not support the war in Ukraine, had "no ties to the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin," and did not serve in, or work for, Russia’s army and security services, Eurosport reported.
The PZS said these rules were in line with the IOC’s latest recommendations, issued in late March.
However, it said that, under the FIE’s guidelines announced on Tuesday, Polish organisers would have no say over whom to allow to take part in the Poznań event, and the statements of Russian and Belarusian athletes would not be "properly verified."
The PZS declared on Wednesday that it “could not accept this” and decided to cancel the World Cup competition.
'We have decided ... not to host this event': Polish sports minister
Poland’s Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk confirmed the cancellation in a media interview a day later.
He told private broadcaster Polsat News on Thursday: “We believe that the admission rules proposed by Poland would have allowed us to effectively ‘sort the wheat from the chaff’ when it comes to Russian and Belarusian athletes.”
He added: “The FIE sought to reserve the right to decide who supports peace and who doesn’t, without specifying any criteria.”
Bortniczuk stated: “This indeed we couldn’t accept, and that’s why we have decided, together with the PZS and organisers, not to host this event.”
‘Decision could not have been different’: Poznań mayor
Meanwhile, Poznań Mayor Jacek Jaśkowiak told reporters: “The PZS’s decision could not have been different. It’s unacceptable for athletes representing an aggressor country, unless they distance themselves from its criminal actions, to take part in sporting competition, to vie for Olympic qualification and to participate in the Olympic Games, which are a celebration of peace.”
Jaśkowiak added that many of the Russian and Belarusian athletes were “soldiers and police officers, that is, people with very close links to the regime.”
The mayor stated: “In Poznań, since February 24, 2022, we’ve been consistent about not inviting representatives of the Russian Federation to city events and this won’t change as long as war operations continue on Ukrainian territory.”
Last week, Denmark moved to cancel an annual international fencing event in Copenhagen, scheduled for October, over Russian participation, according to Eurosport.
Poland wants to build an international coalition of countries to counter efforts for a return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to sports competitions, a Polish presidential aide said last week.
In the summer, Poland will host the 2023 European Games, a multi-sport event similar to the Olympics, with no Russian and Belarusian athletes, the AP noted.
Friday is day 408 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: epoznan.pl, PZS, polsatnews.pl, Eurosport, TVP Sport, AP
