Georgian Officials Urge Separation of Sports and Politics Amid Russian Athlete Controversy
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Georgian sports officials have called for separating sports from politics following growing criticism over the participation of Russian military-affiliated athletes in the World Fencing Championship currently underway in Tbilisi.
The international event, running from July 22 to 30, includes more than 100 athletes. It comes just weeks after the International Fencing Federation (FIE) decided on July 11 to allow Russian and Belarusian fencers to compete as "neutral athletes" under the AIN (Individual Neutral Athletes) designation. Athletes must sign a declaration pledging neutrality and support for the FIE's stated peace mission.
At least three Russian fencers competing in Tbilisi hold military ranks in the Russian army: Major Sofya Velikaya, Lieutenant Yana Egorian, and Warrant Officer Olga Nikitina. According to media reports, all three have received state honors from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Their participation has triggered an international backlash. On July 17, over 400 fencers signed an open letter urging the FIE to reverse its decision and "resume thorough reviews and checks on every athlete applying for AIN status."
Ukrainian sabre star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Olga Kharlan withdrew from the championship in protest, specifically criticizing Velikaya's presence.
"Sofya Velikaya - a major in the Russian army - is not just a fencer. She is a tool of state propaganda, part of a massive machine that has justified war and violence for years," Kharlan wrote on social media on July 8.
Velikaya, 40, has been blacklisted by Ukraine along with 19 other Russian public figures for allegedly supporting Russia's full-scale invasion or maintaining close ties with sanctioned entities. She is also a member of CSKA, a sports club affiliated with the Russian military.
In Georgia, the presence of Russian military athletes has stirred controversy as well. However, Georgian fencing officials have downplayed the criticism.
"We should separate sports from politics," said Merab Bazadze, president of the Georgian Fencing Federation, in an interview with Formula TV.
Bazadze confirmed the athletes' military affiliations but defended their inclusion in the event.
"I know they hold military ranks, but I've known these athletes for many years," he said. "They are successful sportsmen, and I've never seen them holding a gun."
Bazadze emphasized that the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes was made by the FIE, not the local organizing body.
