The fencing EM will not take place in Poland as planned, but in Bulgaria. A move that met with incomprehension in the German camp. Top fencer Anne Sauer, on the other hand, takes it as it comes.
Anne Sauer does not want to be thrown off course by the sudden postponement of the individual European fencer championships.
“There are changes every week because of the situation with the Russians and Belarusians. I won’t let that distract me. I can’t change anything about it,” says the foil specialist: “I go to competitions, no matter where and when they are. And I want to do my best.”
Suddenly it goes to Bulgaria instead of Poland. “This process is certainly unique in world sport, in Olympic sport. Postponing and rescheduling an individual European Championship as an Olympic qualification only three weeks in advance is a difficult situation for us as an association, for the athletes and for the coaches,” says Tobias Kirch, the new fencing sports director. The relocation is also a financial feat for the German Fencing Federation: around 40,000 euros are due – the flights alone cost 25,000 euros.
instructions of the world association
The European Championships in Bulgaria were rescheduled on the instructions of the world association FIE, because the Russian and Belarusian athletes are not allowed to enter the European Games in Poland (June 21 to July 2) due to the war of aggression against Ukraine. Everything is done so that Russians and Belarusians can take part, “but you don’t even take into account what it means for the entire sport and for Ukrainian athletes and for the majority of athletes worldwide,” says Kirch: “In my opinion, it’s not a good situation and I am very critical of the regulation. Basically nothing has changed in the world since the decision not to allow the Russians and Belarusians in. The war has gotten even worse.”
In practice, however, the Russians play no role in fencing at the moment. “As much as the FIE’s decision to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate again was criticized at first, the regulation and examination of the military affiliation of Russian and Belarusian athletes has now been implemented just as strictly,” says Kirch: “It has to be said that a majority of the top Russian athletes are not eligible to compete.”
The FIE – led and financed for a long time by the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanow – had to decide and assess, like the other world federations, whether the IOC criteria were met in the athletes’ examination. Conditions include strict neutrality, compliance with the anti-doping code and proof of not actively supporting the war. Those who belong to the military should be excluded, as well as teams.
Return conditions for Russian athletes a “farce”
Olympic champions Sofiya Velikaya, a major in the armed forces awarded for “military bravery”, Yana Yegoryan and Sofiya Pozdnyakova were not registered. The Russians have announced that they will not take part in international competitions until further notice. Stanislav Pozdnyakov, head of Russia’s Olympic Committee, has said that the return conditions for Russian athletes are a “farce”.
There are significantly more Olympic qualification points than in a normal World Cup at the individual European Championships in Plowdiv from Friday to Sunday. Anne Sauer, who is on the plan for DFC Düsseldorf, has positioned herself well in the Paris race with a Grand Prix victory in China, second place at the World Cup in Georgia and a narrow quarter-final win over Olympic champion Lee Kiefer (USA). “But we still have a long way to go to the Olympics. Qualification will last until April next year. I definitely need a few more points,” says Sauer. Leonie Ebert, the current European Champion, is also doing well.
chances in the foil
“In the foil we certainly have a different, very good prerequisite for achieving good results and having a chance of qualifying for the Olympics than in the other disciplines. Some of the athletes are still very young and don’t have the right equipment yet have the relevant experience and are simply not among the best in the world,” says sporting director Kirch.
Not all athletes could follow the FIE instruction. For example, epee fencer Richard Schmidt, nominated for the European Games, will be absent in Plovdiv. The second state exam comes first for the third-place finisher at the 2017 World Cup in Leipzig. “These are things that are not good for the athletes. After all, you want to keep your chances,” says Kirch. In Kraków, at the European Team Championships, he is part of the team again.
Because of the Russia problem, there was a team meeting with the Olympic and perspective squad athletes. The result: “From now on we want to focus more on the sport again. Everyone agreed that our full concentration must now be on the season highlights with individual European Championships, European Games and the World Cup within two months,” says Kirch.