Estonia will not host the 2026 European Fencing Championships in June after refusing to grant visas to Russian and Belarusian athletes. France stepped in just six months before the tournament, taking it from Tallinn to Antony, a town near Paris. Estonia chose its principles over prestige—and paid the price.
The standoff between a small Baltic nation and the sport's international bodies captures a broader collision: European countries that experienced Russian aggression firsthand refusing to normalize relations with Moscow while sports federations push to bring Russian athletes back into the fold.
How Estonia won and lost the 2026 European Fencing Championships
Estonia won the right to host Euro-26 at the European Fencing Confederation (EFC) congress in Budapest last autumn, UNN reported. Tallinn beat Yerevan with 24 of 42 votes. The decision made sense: Estonia's women's epee team won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, with Katrina Lehis taking individual bronze.
But the vote came with conditions Estonia couldn't meet. The International Fencing Federation (FIE) demanded written confirmation that all athletes could cross the border regardless of nationality or military rank. An EFC delegation visited the Estonian Ministry of Culture to deliver the message.
After consulting with the Foreign Ministry, Estonia's answer was unequivocal. "The government's position has been clear: Visas will not be issued to athletes from aggressor states. Zero tolerance applies, and no exceptions will be made," Raido Mitt, deputy secretary general for sport, told ERR.
Aivar Paalberg, secretary general of the Estonian Fencing Federation, confirmed the EFC made the consequences clear: without that guarantee, Estonia loses the championship. The decision became official in January 2026 when the tournament was reassigned to France.
FIE allows Russian athletes back into fencing competitions
Estonia's refusal came after months of the FIE steadily reopening doors for Russian competitors. In May 2025, the federation allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in team events under a neutral FIE flag, UNN reported—a significant expansion from individual-only participation.
The decision contradicted International Olympic Committee recommendations limiting Russians to individual events. The FIE went further: it replaced background checks with simple declarations of neutrality, drawing condemnation from over 440 fencers across 40 countries who signed an open letter demanding reinstatement of screening procedures.
Ukrainian Olympic champion Olga Kharlan—disqualified in 2023 for refusing to shake a Russian opponent's hand—warned the policy could destroy fencing's Olympic standing. The Ukrainian Fencing Federation has threatened legal action, noting some admitted Russian athletes hold military ranks.
France to host European Fencing Championships 2026 in Antony
France agreed to host the rerouted championship in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, from 16-21 June, Sortiraparis reported. French Fencing Federation president Rémy Delhomme told L'Equipe the deal came together "over a weekend with a prepared file."
France already hosts the 2028 European Championships, making the logistics manageable. Russian athletes will compete under a neutral banner without national anthem—the same arrangement that allowed them back into Paris 2024 and other major events.
What "zero tolerance" costs for Estonia
Estonia's "zero tolerance" policy puts it in a shrinking list of countries willing to accept tangible consequences for barring Russian athletes. Latvia recently banned 14 Russian athletes from entering indefinitely. But most nations, facing federation pressure and threatened sanctions, have quietly acquiesced to the post-2022 normalization.
For Estonia, the cost is hosting rights for a sport where the country excels. For international sport, the cost is different: another step toward pretending the war in Ukraine is not happening.
