President of the Russian Fencing Federation (FFR) Ilgar Mammadov said that several members of the European Fencing Confederation (EFC) are going to come up with a proposal to deprive Russia of membership in the organization. It is reported by RIA Novosti.

“The Nordic countries — Norway, Sweden, Finland, as well as the Baltic countries — are going to come up with a proposal to change the charter and then exclude us from the EFC,” Mammadov explained. He noted that in order to make a decision, it is necessary to gain 75 percent of the votes at the next congress of the organization.

On May 31, the EFC Congress voted for the early termination of the powers of Stanislav Pozdnyakov as the current head of the organization. The Russian said that he was grateful to the European fencing family for six years of work, and wished the athletes and coaches worthy results. “It is sad that the hysteria in Europe has led to a culture of canceling everything Russian, even in such a noble sport as fencing,” he stressed.

On March 2, the International Fencing Federation temporarily suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in tournaments under the auspices of the organization. The reason was the situation in Ukraine.