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Russian Armed Forces Officer Allowed to Compete in Fencing World Championships as “Neutral” Athlete
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has released the list of athletes cleared to compete at the World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia—and it includes so-called "neutral" participants from Russia and Belarus.
Among them is Sofya Velikaya, a major in the Russian Armed Forces and a trusted representative of Russian leader Vladimir Putin during Russia’s 2024 presidential elections.
Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee had previously urged the FIE to bar her from participation, citing the International Olympic Committee’s own neutrality criteria.
“Sofya Velikaya is a Russian citizen, a major in the Russian Armed Forces (as confirmed by the official CSKA website), and a trusted representative of Putin during the 2024 elections. According to IOC criteria, such a person cannot be recognized as neutral and has no right to participate in the international sports movement—let alone claim to represent the interests of athletes worldwide,” the committee stated on July 6.
According to Ukraine Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee is urging the FIE to verify the facts outlined in its letter and take action to prevent Sofya Velikaya from participating in the Athletes' Commission elections.
The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Fencing Federation of Ukraine stress that the aggressor states are using sport not as a platform for dialogue and unity, but as a tool for propaganda.
Earlier, Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko filed a lawsuit against the Women’s Tennis Association, accusing the organization of failing to uphold a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes who openly support the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
