Estonia banned from hosting the 2026 European Fencing Championships after refusing to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has stripped Estonia of the right to host the 2026 European Championships. The tournament has been moved to France.

This is reported by the ERR media.

The federation made this decision on January 14, but notified Estonia a week later.

Estonia received the right to host the competition in 2024. However, in November 2025, the rules and requirements for athletes to obtain neutral status were significantly simplified. In particular, athletes from Russia and Belarus could obtain this status.

Athletes donʼt even have to prove that they are not affiliated with military organizations and dictatorial regimes — itʼs enough to sign a "declaration condemning war".

FIE demanded written confirmation from the host country that all athletes would be able to participate in the tournament and cross the border, regardless of citizenship or military rank. But the Estonian authorities refused to sign such a document.

According to the Vice Chancellor of the Ministry of Culture for Sports of Estonia Raido Mitta, the governmentʼs position is unequivocal — athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be issued visas, there is zero tolerance and there will be no exceptions.

Now the 2026 European Fencing Championships will be held in France in June this year.

• The 2025 World Fencing Championships were held in Tbilisi, Georgia, from July 22 to 26. Then, Russian Sofya Velikaya, a major in the Russian Armed Forces and Putinʼs confidant in the 2024 elections, was admitted to the competition.
• After that, international fencers signed an open letter against the International Fencing Federationʼs simplification of the procedure for reviewing the "neutrality" of athletes and their admission to competitions on the same team.
• However, Ukrainian fencer Vlada Kharkova won gold at those competitions — she became the world fencing champion.

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