Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "United States Fencing Association" in English language version.
USA Fencing provided the further comment: USA Fencing are firmly against permitting the competitors of any country, some of whom are in or supported by its military establishment that is committing war crimes against civilians of another country, to compete.
If these athletes wish to compete, let them resign any military ties and financing — renounce their citizenship and disavow their support for the atrocities.
If these sound like drastic and extreme measures, they are — but invasion of a sovereign country and wanton killing of its civilians is also drastic and extreme, and extreme transgressions call for extreme responses.
Tragically, nothing has changed since the FIE or the IOC (International Olympic Committee), and their Paralympic equivalents, first placed sanctions on athletes from Russia and Belarus. Russia has not ended its unwarranted and unlawful invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in thousands of senseless deaths, an unprecedented refugee crisis and the destruction of Ukraine's sporting infrastructure.
Further, our stance comes directly from our largest stakeholder: our top athletes who have to compete on the piste. It is on their behalf, and in their name, today we keep our stance against the return of Russia and Belarus.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus should not be permitted to compete in the individual or team events under some paper screen of fencing under the FIE flag or some other artifice creating a fiction of neutrality and individual eligibility. Everyone knows they are Russians fencing for Russia and Belorussians fencing for a country that is aiding and abetting Russia's crimes.
