1. "Rio Loves Fencing!" FIE launches dedicated Rio 2016 portal
2. From Canada to Chile: Fencing Across the Americas in 2015
3. Guatemala raises curtain on 2016 in style
4. Ecole Internationale des Maîtres d’Armes in Dakar
5. Major events seminar in Chinese Taipei

“Rio Loves Fencing!” FIE launches dedicated Rio 2016 portal

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has launched a dedicated portal for the Olympic Games, mapping out the Road to Rio for sports fans the world over. The site rio2016.fie.org showcases news, multimedia, and the provisional Olympic qualification standings, among a wealth of other interactive content.

“Our portal represents the world’s premier hub for fencing content in the run-up to the Games,” said Frédéric Pietruszka, the Secretary General of the FIE. “There’s something for everyone: fencing fans can discover more about their favorite athletes, journalists can apply for accreditation to test events, and more general sport enthusiasts can decide which fencers to follow at the Olympics themselves.”

Click here to check out the new portal

From Canada to Chile: Fencing Across the Americas in 2015

In a report on its activities in 2015, the Pan American Fencing Confederation (PAFC) showcases myriad events held across the Americas last year that saw unprecedented advances made in fencing.

Competitions in Toronto and Santiago attracted impressive media coverage, while courses for coaches in Costa Rica and Guatemala, held in conjunction with the Pan American Sports Organization, spread fencing know-how to potentially high-growth areas. The report, authored by Pan American Fencing Confederation President Vitaly Logvin, can be accessed in its entirety below.

The Pan American Fencing Confederation is one of the five official continental confederations of the International Fencing Federation (FIE), and comprises 32 member National Federations.

Read the report in full here

Guatemala raises curtain on 2016 in style

Guatemala kicked off its year of competitive fencing in style early this year, with 75 fencers taking part in the national championships in two youth categories.

Guatemala is one of the 31 national federations of the Pan-America zone and has a proud fencing tradition. On the world stage, the men’s foil is the country’s strongest discipline.

The championships, run by the National Fencing Sports Federation, officially raised the curtain on the country’s fencing activities this year. The winners were departments of El Progreso, Alta Verapaz, Chiquimula, Zacapa, Guatemala and Huehuetenango.

The first stage of the national championships in the cadet category were held on February 13, also in the facilities of the National Fencing Federation.

Follow Guatemala fencing on Twitter @fendesgua

Ecole Internationale des Maîtres d’Armes in Dakar

The 11th class of the Ecole Internationale des Maîtres d’Armes in Dakar (Senegal) started in January 2016. It comprises 17 students from 14 countries, including a female student from Botswana. The training period covers 11 months, ending in November 2016.

Mr Mbagnick Ndiaye participated in the opening lunch with the students on 25 January 2016. He gave the students words of encouragement and advised them to make the most of their stay at the EIMA. The students have a similar level, both in terms of theory and practice, as was confirmed by the instructors, who are very satisfied with the group’s overall level. The FIE provided the students and instructors with the necessary equipment, as well as three strips and three signalling machines for operations in schools.

Students will have an initial evaluation at the end of May 2016. Final exams will take place in November 2016.

Major events seminar in Chinese Taipei

On 9 December of this year, the Chinese Taipei Fencing Association invited Ms AO Jie, Deputy Sport Director of the FIE Sport Department, to lead a seminar on the organisation of international fencing competitions. The aim of the seminar is to ensure that organisers are as prepared as possible for the ‘Universiades’ competition due to take place in Taipei in 2017.

Around 20 people attended the seminar, including the President of the Chinese Taipei Fencing Association, Ms Jui-Yin Jao, her Vice President, Mr Yu De Tsai, her General Secretary, Ms Monica Ho, Competition Manager for fencing at the Universiades 2017, members of the organising committee, various department managers and the Chinese Taipei Fencing Association administrative manager.

For more on this story click here.

New Taipei Fencing Open 2015

The New Taipei Fencing Open 2015 competition was held from 10-13 December 2015 at sports facilities in the city of Xin Pei which is near to Taipei. It was the 21st occasion this international tournament has taken place. Around 10 different countries and 480 athletes overall took part in the competition.

For more on this story click here.