Fédération Internationale d'Escrime
International fencing governing body / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (English: International Fencing Federation), commonly known by the acronym FIE, is the international governing body of Olympic fencing. Today, its head office is at the Maison du Sport International in Lausanne, Switzerland. The FIE is composed of 155 national federations, each of which is recognized by its country's Olympic Committee as the sole representative of Olympic-style fencing in that country.[3]
This article appears to be slanted towards recent events. (October 2023) |
Sport | Fencing |
---|---|
Founded | 29 November 1913; 110 years ago (1913-11-29) |
President | Emmanuel Katsiadakis (interim president)[1] |
Countries | 155[2] |
Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
Official website | FIE.org |
Since its inception in 1913, there have been 14 presidents. The position of president of the federation is currently vacant, but was most recently occupied by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov (from 2008 until 2022). In February 2022, in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union blacklisted Usmanov, imposed an EU-wide travel ban on him, and froze all of his assets. The EU stated: "He has been referred to as one of Vladimir Putin's favourite oligarchs."[4] Following the imposition of the sanctions on him, Usmanov announced, in an accusatory letter, that he was stepping down as FIE President.
In 2023 the FIE came under fire for its decision to disqualify Ukrainian four-time individual world sabre champion Olga Kharlan from the World Fencing Championships. After Kharlan defeated Russian Anna Smirnova 15-7, Smirnova extended her hand to Kharlan, who in turn extended her saber in an offer to the Russian to tap blades. Kharlan said her choice of salute was meant as a sign of respect for her opponent, while still acknowledging the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. After a long delay during which Smirnova protested and sat on the strip for 45 minutes, Kharlan was ultimately black-carded and eliminated from the championship by FIE officials. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, called the FIE decision "absolutely shameful." The following day at the behest of the IOC, the FIE reversed itself and cancelled its disqualification of Kharlan, making it possible for her to enter the team women's sabre event that week.