(Reuters) – Russian fencers Sergey Bida, Oleg Knysh and Konstantin Lokhanov have been allowed to compete at the United States Summer Nationals, which started on Friday in Phoenix, Arizona, after fulfilling criteria from the host country’s Fencing Board.
USA Fencing had announced on Wednesday that Russian and Belarusian fencers based in the country could compete in the Summer Nationals as there are competitors who “contribute in positive ways to the USA Fencing community.”
The governing body’s board agreed in April to allow the participation of such fencers if they meet certain criteria following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Belarus was used a staging ground for what Moscow calls a ‘special military operation’.
USA Fencing said the fencers must have “denounced the actions of Russia and Belarus and display no physical manifestation of Russian or Belarusian affiliation within the venue”, including uniforms, equipment bags and accessories.
They must also not have had a licence from the International Fencing Federation (IFE) indicating their nationality in the previous three years and also not have competed in USA Fencing events in the previous 12 months.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Bida, who this year moved to the U.S. with his wife, is one of the athletes who has met the requirements and is competing in the men’s epee event.
Epeeist Knysh, who lives in Texas, is also taking part.
They will be joined by Lokhanov, who competed in Tokyo in sabre.
Russian and Belarusian fencers will also have a limited participation in the World Championships starting on July 22 in Milan, where they will compete as neutrals.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Ken Ferris)
