For Russia's fencing champions, a ruling to allow them to return to international competition has done little to change their circumstances, as other European nations have canceled events in protest.

Last month's decision by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) made fencing the first Olympic sport to re-open its events to athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus.

It generated outrage in Ukraine, a hard-hitting petition to uphold the ban and a raft of competitions being canceled in countries opposed to hosting Russian or Belarusian fencers.