Lehis famously won bronze in the individual event at the Tokyo olympics, and was a part of the gold medal-winning foursome at the same games.

A public clash between team coach Kaido Kaaberma and Lehis has been ongoing since last summer, culminating in Lehis's decision not to represent the national team in the fall.

The Estonian Fencing Association (Eesti vehklemisliit) board confirmed the decision Monday.

Their statement read: "Due to limited financial resources, the Estonian Fencing Association can only send four female athletes to the 2024 European Championships, who will form the national team for both the team and individual events."

"On November 20, 2023, Katrina Lehis stated that she did not wish to participate in team competitions and has not competed in team events for the Estonian women's team since then," the statement continued (Lehis has competed in individual events at World Cup and Grand Prix stages during that time – ed.)

"Since Lehis has not indicated a change in her stance, there is no reason to include her in the 2024 European Championship team," the statement read.

Kaaberma proposed a roster for both individual and team events based on the national rankings and comprising: Nelli Differt, Irina Embrich, and Erika Kirpu and Julia Beljajeva. Three of the four were a part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021) gold medal-winning women's épée team.

Lehis, however, ranks second in the domestic standings, behind Differt only.

"Katrina Lehis was invited but did not participate in the meeting to approve the national team calendar and the training camp before the Nordic Championships. She withdrew from the team competition shortly before the start of the Nordic Championships. Lehis was also invited to the training camp before the Legnano World Cup, but did not attend," the statement added.

"One of the core rules of sportsmanship and Olympism is the adherence to fair play principles. This is mentioned as a foundational principle in the Olympic Charter and is stated as the mission in the statutes of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) and the Estonia Olympic Committee (EOK). The Estonian Fencing Association, being a member of both EOK and FIE, must also adhere to these principles in its decisions."

"In selecting the women's épée team for this year's European Championships, the question arose of whether it is in line with fair play principles to include an athlete in the team who did not wish to compete as part of the team but instead prioritized individual qualification for the Olympics," the announcement continued.

"The head coach's position is that such an athlete, who prioritized personal interests over the team's, should not be included in the team for major championships, where future support funding is also determined. This would not be allowed by either common sense or fair play principles. Fair play rules are meant to protect all athletes."

The statement notes that the majority of the board members present at the meeting approved the announced roster, while Embrich, who herself is part of the board, recused herself from the vote.

The European Fencing Championships in Switzerland run June 18 to 21.

The confirmed Estonian men's team is: Sten Priinits, Filipp Djatšuk, Markus Salm, and Valentin Altunin.

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