And that’s three. After Germany and France, a third country has decided not to organise a stage of the Fencing World Cup this season. The Polish federation announced on Wednesday 5 April that it was cancelling its stage of the women’s foil World Cup. It was to be held from 21 to 23 April 2023 in Poznan. The national body explained its decision by the presence of Russian fencers, authorised in international competitions under the cover of neutrality since a vote of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) on 10 March. “We cannot organise this event under the conditions set by the FIE,” explained Adam Konopka, vice-president of the Polish federation, quoted by AFP. Poland’s decision to cancel its competition, included in the qualification process for the Paris 2024 Games, may come as a surprise as Russia had announced over the weekend that it would not send its foilists to Poznan because of the conditions imposed by Warsaw. The Polish authorities asked Russian and Belarusian athletes to sign a written document stating that they do not support the war against Ukraine and that they are not employed by the army or a national security body.
