EditorialAbsolute Fencing Gear
Dear friends,
Happy New Year to all of you and please join me in looking forward to a great 2017 for international fencing. The 2016-17 fencing season is off to a strong start, and we have already completed several successful world cups and Grand prix events around the globe.
In November, I had the honour of being re-elected the President of the FIE at the FIE Elective Congress in Moscow. This marks the beginning of my third Olympic quadrennial as we have started working tirelessly towards the preparation for and ensuring the best-possible fencing coverage in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Over the next four years we will be expanding our sport to reach new audiences, sponsors, and supporters worldwide.
The Congress also elected the new FIE executive committee and committees. Everybody has enthusiastically begun to join their efforts to oversee, manage, and optimize the world of fencing.
I welcome the other decisions, including the World Fencing Day, the election of Budapest for the 2019 Fencing World Championships, and Verona and Torun for the 2018 and 2019 Cadet and Junior World Championships, respectively.
This season has already seen one serious advancement in the promotion of fencing: The first three events in the Fencing Grand Prix Series have been broadcast on the Olympic Channel, an exciting new platform developed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). We consider the Olympic Channel as a key tool to popularize our sport, and we will be providing the Channel with access and content in the coming months and years to make the most of the opportunity to reach and engage with new generations of fans.
The addition of new digital platforms and new host cities bodes well for the future of our sport.
I invite you to take part in the many ways fencing can be enjoyed today. Via social media, television and media, and live-streaming, we are strongly positioned to make great strides in fencing’s popularity and interest around the world. Your participation as an athlete, spectator, coach, or follower of fencing is essential to its success, and the FIE is dedicated its accessibility as never before.
All of us in the FIE are ambassadors of fencing to the world. Thank you for your support and best wishes to you and your family for a healthy and prosperous 2017.
Alisher Usmanov