The CMI programme was established by the FIE in 2014. The FIE assumes the majority of the costs of the programme, along with support from the International Charity Foundation “For the Future of Fencing”. National federations and clubs belonging to the CMI network provide the necessary infrastructure and participation by their coaching staff.

This commitment to developing a new generation of fencers around the world is also evident in the FIE’s annual Training Camps. In March last year there were almost 50 young athletes at the official FIE Training Camp in the French towns of Bourges and Melun ahead of the Cadet and Junior World Championships.

These camps allow hopefuls to learn from high-level coaches and from training with fencers from different countries. Vietnam’s Do Thi Anh, for instance, took part in the Rio Olympics five months after the 2016 camp and is not the only example – fencers from Algeria, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Mexico and Venezuela were all present at Rio 2016 having attended FIE camps in recent years.

The 2017 camp takes place in Plovdiv, Bulgaria before the Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships 2017 and the FIE has already sent out invitations to a total of 48 countries from each continent (Europe 6, Pan America 16, Africa 9, Asia and Oceania 17).