Two candidates stand for the office of president at the 2024 elective congress of the FIE (the International Fencing Federation) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 30 November. Elections take place every four years.
One of the candidates is Otto Drakenberg, president of the Swedish Fencing Federation. His opponent is Alisher Usmanov, who is a citizen of Uzbekistan but represents Russia in the elections. Mr. Usmanov has been the president of the FIE since 2008.
Mr Drakenberg is a Swedish business professional and board chairman who participated in the Olympic fencing competition in Seoul 1988.
– We worry about the development in the International Fencing Federation. In 2022 we proposed that the FIE should apply a term limit of twelve years for the elected officials. This is a procedure practiced by the IOC and many other leading international federations. However, our proposal was rejected by the FIE congress.
– Research shows that term limits create a healthier, more accountable governance structure that ultimately benefits athletes, fans and the integrity of sports itself. Mr. Usmanov has now been in office for 16 years and the last three elections there were no opposing candidate.
– We made several efforts to encourage suitable persons in other countries to run for the presidency but to no avail. When we became aware of the possibility that Mr. Usmanov might be an unopposed candidate again, we decided that I should become a candidate to provide an alternative which would support the democratic structures of the FIE.
Another argument from the Swedish federation against the candidature of Mr. Usmanov is that he has been strongly sanctioned by, among others, the European Union, the United States and Canada. He is also under sanctions from Swiss authorities. This prevents him from visiting the FIE headquarters in Lausanne. Just a few days after the Russian full-scale war started against Ukraine, Mr. Usmanov was forced to step back as president since Swiss authorities froze the FIE bank accounts. Ever since, the secretary general of the FIE has filled the role of interim president and the role of Mr. Usmanov has remained undefined. However, Mr. Usmanov never resigned in clear terms.
– I think it is very reasonable to expect that the leader of world fencing should not be persona non grata in significant parts of the world. The FIE president should promote the interests of fencing everywhere in the world while clearly and openly take responsibility for every decision made by the organization. Mr. Usmanov cannot fulfil these requirements.
The Swedish Fencing Federation has been in contact with the authority managing the system of Swiss sanctions to understand the possible consequences of a re-election of Mr. Usmanov, receiving the following advice:
“Moreover, the asset freeze and the prohibition of making funds available apply not only to sanctioned individuals, but also to organisations that are owned or – directly or indirectly – controlled by them. Therefore, such an election bears considerable risks.”
Sanctions Division, Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO (Bern, Switzerland)
There is also a worry for the possible consequences of the vague or informal leadership that characterize the FIE since 2022.
– The candidature of Mr. Usmanov is presented with support from 103 of 153 member federations of the FIE. From what we understand, these federations have participated in two conferences that were organized in Tashkent in 2023 and 2024 and where this support for Mr. Usmanov was confirmed. Allegedly, he himself participated in these meetings. The Swedish federation and a number of other federations were not invited.
– I hope that my candidature will encourage all the federations that are worried about current and future standing of the FIE and hope to see another development of world fencing to identify an alternative to the current order and engage in creating a prosperous future for fencing.
– I believe that my previous experiences from leadership in sports and the business world will prove useful. I try to base my leadership on the principles of good governance. It is important for me that all arguments and all sides be heard before a decision is taken. My values are important to me but I have been raised and trained also to respect and work well with those who differ from me.
– It was never my intention to become president of the FIE but, if elected, I pledge to do my utmost to involve all federations in a joint effort to further develop our sport on a global scale.