Poland's fencing federation (PZS) says it has withdrawn from hosting a World Cup competition this month after the International Fencing Federation ruled that athletes from Russia and Belarus could compete at the event under neutral status if they are not linked to Moscow's full-scale aggression in Ukraine.
The PZS said in a statement on April 5 that the change "deprived the organizers...of any influence on the process of accepting registered competitors and support staff." It added that the PZS could not guarantee the "proper verification" of competitors from Russia or Belarus.
"The procedure means that Ukrainian fencers will not participate in the competitions qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and on the other hand, there is a risk that a large number of competitors with Russian and Belarusian passports will be admitted in a poorly controlled manner," it said.
Ukraine has said its athletes will not participate in any event where Russian and Belarusian competitors are allowed.
The move comes less than a month after Germany's fencing federation canceled a women's foil World Cup event for similar reasons.
Athletes from the two countries were banned from many international competitions after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 in what Moscow refuses to call a war, instead characterizing it as a "special military operation."
More than 60 percent of nations voted to allow Russians and Belarusians to resume competing in FIE events at an extraordinary congress in April.
The PSZ said it supports Ukraine's fencing federation "in its efforts to remove from the competitions and the world fencing environment people who support the brutal war in Ukraine and support the regime of Vladimir Putin."
The International Olympic Committee recommended at the end of March that international sports federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in events as neutral participant, though they are still barred from team events, RFE/RL reports.
