The Swede received 26 votes against Usmanov's 120.
One of the delegates said that "it was unexpectedly even". It says something about the environment here, says Drakenberg over the phone to TT.
He has, ahead of Saturday's election at FIE's congress in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent, described himself as the reluctant candidate, and said that his candidacy is rooted in a concern for the development within international fencing.
"Putin's favorite"
The Swedish Fencing Federation and Drakenberg are primarily opposed to the fact that the only other candidate, oligarch Alisher Usmanov, is under sanctions from, among others, the USA, Canada, Switzerland, and the EU – who have called him "one of Vladimir Putin's favorite oligarchs".
Usmanov, who represents Russia despite being an Uzbek citizen, claims that the sanctions are unfair and based on "false and defamatory accusations".
The sanctions mean, among other things, that Usmanov cannot travel to a large number of countries and therefore cannot represent the interests of fencing worldwide, according to Otto Drakenberg.
Despite this, Usmanov has, through large investments in the sport, managed to gather extensive support among member countries.
The Ukraine War
Usmanov has been FIE president since 2008 and in the three previous elections, there has been no opposing candidate.
Many delegates from the free world have come up to me in the elevator or in some corridor and said "thank you for running, I would never dare", says Otto Drakenberg.
Usmanov was, however, forced to step down from the post in 2022, when FIE's bank accounts were frozen shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Formally, FIE has been governed by a secretary general since then, and officially, Usmanov has had no role. He is, however, said to have continued to rule through his allies.
Will he do the same again?
He says that he soon believes the sanctions will be lifted, but they will not. He will continue to be self-suspended and continue with his shadow regime, says Drakenberg.
The Swede, who has been the chairman of the Swedish Fencing Federation since 2017, believes that the sport's Olympic status is threatened in the long run with Usmanov as president, and hopes that there will be a change when more countries realize this.
When they see their Olympic status threatened, then we will get a shift, he says.
