The legal battle stems from a May 5, 2026, report where Reuters stated that thousands of fencing professionals had signed a letter demanding an external review of the federation. The Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht found that the underlying signature list was collected via an open online form with no verification of identity or professional status. Nearly half of the entries were anonymous, and the court noted that the process allowed for manipulation by third parties.
Hamburg Court Rules Against Reuters in Fencing Federation Dispute
A German appellate court has barred Reuters from claiming an open letter to the International Olympic Committee was signed by nearly 3,000 athletes and coaches. The ruling, delivered July 23, 2026, classifies the figure as an unsubstantiated falsehood that significantly misrepresented the scale of opposition to the FIE leadership.
Under the court’s order, Reuters faces fines of up to 250,000 euros for each future instance of disseminating the claim. The judiciary concluded that the agency’s presentation of the data gave the letter a weight it did not objectively possess, as readers naturally assume signatories have direct knowledge of the federation's affairs. FIE Interim President Abdelmoneim El Husseiny described the initial report as the sole driver of the letter’s global attention, noting that the agency failed to conduct independent verification. Following the injunction, Reuters issued a correction, acknowledging that it did not verify the signatures and noting the FIE’s ongoing challenge to the list's authenticity.
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