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Fédération Internationale d'Escrime
International Fencing Federation logo.svg
Sport Fencing
Founded 29 November 1913; 110 years ago (1913-11-29)
President Greece Emmanuel Katsiadakis (interim president)
Countries 155
Headquarters Switzerland Lausanne, Switzerland

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.

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." 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.

History

Allegory of fencer - Václav Cesak - Lausanne
Allegory of fencing by Václav Česák, presented to the Olympic Museum by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime in celebration of its centenary

The Fédération Internationale d'Escrime is the heir of the Société d'encouragement de l'escrime founded in France in 1882, which took part in the global movement of structuring sport. The first international fencing congress was held in Brussels, Belgium in 1897 at the instigation of the Fédération belge des cercles d'escrime, followed by another one in Paris in 1900. On this occasion the Société organised one of the first international fencing events; French, Italian, Spanish, and Belgian fencers attended the competition. Dissensions rapidly arose between épéeists and foilists, which held the majority at the Société. The third congress held in Brussels in 1905 voted the creation of an international fencing committee whose mission would be of fostering friendship amongst all fencers, establishing national rules, and supporting the organization of fencing competitions. The third congress also adopted the French rules as the basis for upcoming international competitions. New tensions appeared, this time between France and Italy, about the regulatory weapon grip. They led to the boycott by France of the fencing events of the 1912 Olympic Games.

A new international congress was called together in Ghent, Belgium, in July 1913. The main matter was the adoption of international regulations for each of the three weapons. The French rules were adopted in épée and foil; the Hungarian rules were chosen for sabre. Frenchman René Lacroix also campaigned for the creation of an international fencing federation.

Maison du Sport International - Lausanne
Headquarters of the FIE at the Maison du Sport International in Lausanne

The Fédération Internationale d'Escrime was founded on 29 November 1913, in the conference rooms of the Automobile Club de France in Paris. The nine founding nations were Belgium, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway. Albert Feyerick, president of the Federation of fencing clubs of Belgium, was elected as the first president. The FIE held its first congress on 23 June 1914, and accepted the adhesion of seven new countries: Austria, Denmark, Monaco, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States.

Presidency of Alisher Usmanov

Vladimir Putin at award ceremonies (2018-11-27) 15
FIE president Alisher Usmanov with Vladimir Putin.

Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov was elected president of the FIE in 2008 with 66 votes to 61 for incumbent president René Roch. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. In 2021, Usmanov was re-elected by acclamation to a fourth term, for which he was congratulated by Vladimir Putin.

On 28 February 2022, in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union blacklisted Usmanov, imposing an EU-wide travel ban on him and freezing all of his assets. The EU stated: "He has been referred to as one of Vladimir Putin's favourite oligarchs." Following the imposition of the sanctions on him, Usmanov announced on 1 March 2022, in an accusatory letter, that he was stepping down as FIE President.

Impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, the FIE agreed with the European Fencing Confederation (EFC) to ban Russian and Belarusian fencers, and reallocated competitions that were due to be held in Russia and Belarus.

On 10 March 2023, the FIE became the first Olympic governing body to officially reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials, in time for the start of the qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Protesting this decision, Denmark, France, Germany, and Poland cancelled upcoming World Cup fencing events to prevent Russians and Belarusians from participating.

In April 2023, it was revealed that the European Fencing Confederation had sent a critical letter to the FIE, outlining their opposition to the FIE's plans to strip the countries that had indicated they would not grant visas to Russians and Belarusians from hosting rights, and impose sanctions on them. In addition, the EFC approved in congress in June 2023 that no Russian or Belarusian coach or athlete may compete in an EFC competition, and that Russia and Belarus are suspended as members. Over 200 fencers also signed an open letter in which they objected to the FIE's decision to allow the return of Russian and Belarusian fencers as neutrals. In May 2023, the FIE decided to strip individual events at the 2023 European Games in Kraków-Małopolska of their Olympic qualifier status because the Polish organizers banned Russians from participating at the Games, and therefore they organized instead a separate European Championships in Plovdiv for individual events only where Russians were allowed to compete. The Nordic Fencing Union heavily criticized these decisions by the FIE.

Disqualification of Ukrainian world champion, and subsequent reversal

Olha Kharlan - 2016-10-05 - 4
Ukrainian four-time world sabre champion Olga Kharlan

In July 2023, Ukrainian four-time individual world sabre champion Olga Kharlan was disqualified by the FIE at the World Fencing Championships. Kharlan defeated Russian Anna Smirnova 15-7. At the time, and since 1 July 2020 (and reconfirmed by FIE public notice in September 2020 and in January 2021), by public written notice the FIE had replaced its previous handshake requirement with a "salute" by the opposing fencers, and written in its public notice that handshakes were "suspended until further notice." 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. The Russian had been allowed to compete as a neutral athlete. The Ukrainian delegation filed an appeal. The German Fencing Federation criticized the decision by the FIE and maintained that the very strict interpretation of the rules sent a fatal signal far beyond the world of fencing.

The FIE came under fire for its decision. Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina called the FIE’s disqualification “disrespectful” towards Ukrainians. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, called the FIE decision "absolutely shameful," and posted a photo on his Twitter feed which appeared to show the Russian fencer smiling and flashing the victory sign with a Russian soldier, writing: "The photo features ... the Russian fencer.... As you can see, she openly admires the Russian army.... The [FIE] disqualified the Ukrainian representative for not shaking hands with the Russian." Kharlan said "This federation will never change." Team USA head coach Yury Gelman said that the FIE was the most corrupt federation in the world.

The IOC strongly disagreed with the FIE's actions. On 28 July at the behest of the Comité international olympique, the FIE reversed itself and cancelled its disqualification of Kharlan, making it possible for her to enter the team women's sabre event on 29 July, while at the same time arguing that "The FIE stands fully behind the penalty, which, after a thorough review, is in complete accordance and compliance with its official rules and associated penalties." Kharlan was also told by the IOC in an empathic letter on which the FIE president was copied that due to the circumstances she was being granted automatic qualification into the 2024 Paris Olympics, and that she should "[r]est assured that the IOC will continue to stand in full solidarity with the Ukrainian athletes and the Olympic community of Ukraine during these extremely difficult times." Subsequently, though the FIE had defended its position in its interim president's letter to Kharlan, Bruno Gares, the FIE's representative of the Executive Committee in the Rules Commission said that -- after the required salutes at the end of a bout -- handshakes would become optional, with a distance greeting permitted instead.

Events

Competitions organized by the FIE include the senior World Championships and World Cup, the Junior World Championships and Junior World Cup, the Cadets World Championships, and the Veterans World Championships. The Zonal Championships recognised by the FIE are the Senior Zonal Championships and the Junior Zonal Championships, but other competitions may be organized by the Zonal Confederations.

The FIE assists the International Olympic Committee in the organization of fencing events at the Summer Olympics. The number of events has been a matter of contention between the FIE and the CIO since the introduction of the women's sabre at the 1999 World Championships: since then, the World Championships feature twelve events: an individual and a team weapon for each of the three weapons, for men and for women. However, the CIO refuses to increase the number of Olympic medals allocated to fencing. After much dithering, the FIE decided to organize all six individual events, but only four team events, decided on a rotational basis. The two team events excluded from the Olympic programme, one for men and one for women, are included instead in the World Championships.

People

Presidents of the FIE

A list of FIE presidents from 1913 to the present:

  • 1913–21: Albert Feyerick
  • 1921–24: André Maginot
  • 1925–28: George van Rossem
  • 1929–32: Eugène Empeyta
  • 1933–48: Paul Anspach
  • 1949–52: Jacques Coutrot
  • 1953–56: Giuseppe Mazzini
  • 1957–60: Pierre Ferri
  • 1961–64: Miguel de Capriles
  • 1965–80: Pierre Ferri
  • 1981–84: Giancarlo Brusati
  • 1984–92: Rolland Boitelle
  • 1993–2008: René Roch
  • 2008–22: Alisher Usmanov
  • 2022–date: Emmanuel Katsiadakis (interim president)

Athletes

National federations

As of 2023, the FIE recognized 155 affiliated national federations.

Africa (CAE) America (CPE) Asia (FCA) Europe (CEE) Oceania (OFC)

Algeria Algeria
Angola Angola
Benin Benin
Botswana Botswana
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso
Cameroon Cameroon
Cape Verde Cape Verde
Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo
Ivory Coast Côte d'Ivoire
Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo
Egypt Egypt

Gabon Gabon
Ghana Ghana
Guinea Guinea
[1]Kenya Kenya
Libya Libya
Madagascar Madagascar
Mali Mali
Mauritania Mauritania
Mauritius Mauritius
Morocco Morocco
Namibia Namibia
Niger Niger
Nigeria Nigeria
Rwanda Rwanda
Senegal Senegal
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone

South Africa South Africa
Togo Togo
Tunisia Tunisia
Uganda Uganda

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina Argentina
Aruba Aruba
The Bahamas Bahamas
Barbados Barbados
Belize Belize
Bermuda Bermuda
Bolivia Bolivia
Brazil Brazil
Canada Canada
Chile Chile
Colombia Colombia
Costa Rica Costa Rica
Cuba Cuba
Dominica Dominica
Dominican Republic Dominican Republic
Ecuador Ecuador
El Salvador El Salvador
Guatemala Guatemala
Guyana Guyana
Haiti Haiti
Honduras Honduras
Jamaica Jamaica
Mexico Mexico
Nicaragua Nicaragua
Panama Panama
Paraguay Paraguay
Peru Peru
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico
United States United States
United States Virgin Islands United States Virgin Islands
Uruguay Uruguay
Venezuela Venezuela

Afghanistan Afghanistan
Bahrain Bahrain
Bangladesh Bangladesh
Brunei Brunei
Cambodia Cambodia
China People's Republic of China
Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei
Hong Kong Hong Kong
India India
Indonesia Indonesia
Iran Iran
Iraq Iraq
Japan Japan
Jordan Jordan
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan
Kuwait Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan
Lebanon Lebanon
Macau Macao
Malaysia Malaysia
Mongolia Mongolia
Myanmar Myanmar
Nepal Nepal
North Korea North Korea
Oman Oman
Pakistan Pakistan
State of Palestine Palestine
Philippines Philippines
Qatar Qatar
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia
Singapore Singapore
South Korea South Korea
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka
Syria Syria
Tajikistan Tajikistan
Thailand Thailand
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan
Vietnam Vietnam
Yemen Yemen

Albania Albania
Armenia Armenia
Austria Austria
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan
Belarus Belarus
Belgium Belgium
Bulgaria Bulgaria
Croatia Croatia
Cyprus Cyprus
Czech Republic Czech Republic
Denmark Denmark
Estonia Estonia
Finland Finland
France France
Georgia (country) Georgia
Germany Germany
United Kingdom Great Britain
Greece Greece
Hungary Hungary
Iceland Iceland
Republic of Ireland Ireland
Israel Israel
Italy Italy
Latvia Latvia
Lithuania Lithuania
Luxembourg Luxembourg
Malta Malta
Moldova Republic of Moldova
Monaco Monaco
Netherlands Netherlands
North Macedonia North Macedonia
Norway Norway
Poland Poland
Portugal Portugal
Romania Romania
Russia Russia
San Marino San Marino
Serbia Serbia
Slovakia Slovakia
Slovenia Slovenia
Spain Spain
Sweden Sweden
Switzerland Switzerland
Turkey Turkey
Ukraine Ukraine

American Samoa American Samoa
Australia Australia
Guam Guam
New Zealand New Zealand
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea
Samoa Samoa


Note: As of 7 July  2012 (2012 -07-07), the Netherlands Antilles was still listed as an FIE Member nation, and 146 member nations were listed on the FIE's membership page. However, after the country was dissolved, it lost its National Olympic Committee status in 2011. At the 2012 Olympics, athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles were eligible to participate as independent athletes under the Olympic flag (no fencers competed).

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Federación Internacional de Esgrima para niños

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