Russian Sabre Fencing Female’s Team Dedicates Gold to Banned Athletes

The Russian female's sabre fencing team which won gold at Rio Olympics dedicated the victory to all Russian athletes, who were banned from participating in the Games, team's member Sofya Velikaya said Saturday.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Velikaya and her teammates Yana Egorian and Yuliya Gavrilova beat Ukrainian team with a score of 45:30 in sabre fencing finals.

"We have dedicated our victory to the Russian athletes, who could not come to the Olympics," Velikaya told reporters.

In July, the IAAF prohibited all Russian athletes from taking part in international competitions, including the upcoming Rio Olympics, except long jump athlete Darya Klishina, who trains in the United States.

Russian athletes challenged the doping-related ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which upheld IAAF’s decision. The International Olympic Committee refused to impose a blanket ban on Russia, leaving the decision up to individual federations.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games are being held in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro from August 5 until August 21.