Russia on Tuesday placed on the wanted list a couple of fencers whom it accuses of having participated in the American championship without the agreement of Moscow, while the participation of Russian athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is under debate . Two cards appeared on the Interior Ministry’s wanted persons database for Sergey Bida and his wife Violetta Brida, both fencers who left Russia for the United States after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
A couple living in California
The couple is wanted “under an article of the Penal Code”, indicates the ministry without specifying what are the accusations brought against the two fencers. Sergey Brida is a team silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Violetta Khrapina is a team silver medalist at the 2019 Budapest World Championships. The couple lives in California.
According to state news agency TASS, Sergey Brida is an officer in the Russian National Guard and active military, and the couple had to seek permission from Russian sports authorities before participating in the U.S. championship.
Athletes authorized to compete at the Paris Olympics under certain conditions
Last week, the International Olympic Committee authorized Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (July 26-August 11), under several conditions: under a neutral banner, excluding team events, if they have not actively supported the Russian offensive in Ukraine and whether they cleared the qualifying hurdle.
To date, there are only 11 in this case, eight Russians and three Belarusians, against around sixty Ukrainians, according to the IOC. However, several Russian athletes have left the country to join foreign championships.