Sofya Velikaya (Russia)
Sport: Fencing
Status: Nominated for FIE Athletes’ Commission (2025 Senior World Championships)
According to FIE information letter No. 13-25 dated 05.06.2025, Russian citizen Sofya Velikaya has been nominated as a candidate for the FIE Athletes’ Commission election to be held during the 2025 Senior World Championships.
At the same time, publicly available information from the official website of CSKA (Central Sports Club of the Army) confirms that Sofya Velikaya holds the military rank of major in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. CSKA is a military sports organisation subordinated to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.
In addition, in 2024 Sofya Velikaya acted as a confidant of candidate Vladimir Putin during the Russian presidential elections.
The combination of an active military rank within the Russian Armed Forces and documented political involvement raises serious concerns regarding compliance with internationally established eligibility and neutrality standards applicable within the Olympic movement.
The nomination of a candidate holding a military rank and publicly associated with state political structures to a representative body within the international fencing community calls into question the consistent application of these standards and the principle of independence of sport from state and military influence.
Sources:
– FIE Information Letter No. 13-25 (05.06.2025):
https://static.fie.org/uploads/36/182768-lettre%20info%2013-25%20ang.pdf
– List of candidates for the 2025 FIE Athletes’ Commission:
https://static.fie.org/uploads/36/182759-1.%20202520Athletes20Com20candidatures.pdf
– CSKA official website confirming military rank:
https://cska.ru/club/persons/velikaya_sofya_aleksandrovna-6703/
– Biographical reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofya_Velikaya
– Official letter of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and Ukrainian Fencing Federation :