MOSCOW: Russian billionaire businessman Alisher Usmanov has been re-elected as president of the International Fencing Federation.
Usmanov was the only candidate at the congress in Moscow and starts a new four-year term as head of the federation, known by its French acronym FIE.
He has been president since 2008, investing millions of dollars from his personal fortune to promote the sport. Usmanov is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and is also a major shareholder in English soccer club Arsenal.
The FIE allowed Russia's entire 16-strong team of fencers to compete in August's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro despite the country's doping scandal.
Four failed drug tests in fencing had allegedly been covered up by Russian officials according to a World Anti-Doping Agency investigator, but FIE said none of those at the Olympics were implicated.
