Fencing National Team Faces International Tournament Without Equipment Due to Protest Blockade

The "Jamsil vote counting center blockade protest," triggered by the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections, has dragged on, leading to a complete paralysis of administrative functions for sports organizations housed in the Olympic Handball Gymnasium.

National fencing team athletes are now facing the prospect of departing for an international tournament without their personal equipment, and cases of secondary victimization have been confirmed, with sports organization staff being subjected to doxxing and threats from protesters.

On June 15, Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Lee Kee-heung and representatives from nine sports organizations held a press conference at the Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, to appeal against the severe obstruction of their operations and requested the swift intervention of law enforcement.

The most critically affected group is the national fencing team, which is scheduled to depart for the New Delhi Asian Fencing Championships tomorrow, June 16.

All essential equipment, including fencing blades, shoes, and jackets, remains locked inside the office, making it impossible for the athletes to retrieve them.

With the global supply of fencing blades already strained due to the aftermath of the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the team is effectively cut off from even their existing gear.

An official from the Korea Fencing Federation lamented, "Since last Friday, we have been advising athletes to find and borrow equipment on their own to prepare for their departure. It is truly a situation of 'every man for himself.' We are even unable to wire funds for hotel reservations, so we are asking the Asian federation to assist with bookings. This whole process is deeply embarrassing and frustrating."

If the team fails to secure ranking points at the Asian Championships due to the inability to procure equipment, they will inevitably face disadvantages in seeding for the World Fencing Championships in Hong Kong next month and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September.

This will have a cascading negative impact, potentially reaching as far as the selection process for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

President Lee stated, "Even if the athletes depart tomorrow, they won't be competing immediately. We are considering the possibility of airlifting the equipment to the local venue later if possible."

Other sports are also at risk of seeing their international credibility plummet.

The Korea Underwater Association has been hit directly regarding the hosting of the World Finswimming Championships, which are set to take place in Incheon next week.

Foreign athletes are already beginning to arrive, but administrative paralysis has prevented the association from even processing visa support tasks.

The association expressed its concern, stating, "If there are disruptions to tournament operations due to visa issues, or if any safety incidents occur, our association could be permanently barred from hosting international events."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.