ESCRIME XXI FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE D’ESCRIME
01
WORLD CUPS GRAND PRIX PLOVDIV 02
PARK SANGYOUNG INTERVIEW 03
NEPAL HOLDS SECOND NATIONAL FENCING CHAMPIONSHIP
N° 99 DIGITAL MAGAZINE
THIS ISSU CONTENTS
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Welcome to the latest edition of Escrime XXI packed with the best fencing images, video and features and showcased in striking new look. Tap table of content to navigate.
EDITORIAL SPORT INTERVIEW FIE & NATIONAL FEDREATION NEWS OBITUARIES
EDI TOR IAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE FIE
FIE HEAD OFFICE
PRESIDENT
Alisher Usmanov (RUS)
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)
Nathalie Rodriguez M.-H. (FRA)
SECRETARY GENERAL
Emmanuel Katsiadakis (M .H.) (GRE)
DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Evgeni Tsoukhlo (RUS)
SECRETARY TREASURER
Ferial Nadira Salhi (ALG)
VICE PRESIDENTS
Ana Pascu (M.H.) (ROU) Donald Anthony (USA) Wei Wang (CHN) Erika Aze (LAT)
Jacek Bierkowski (POL) Velichka Hristeva (BUL) Isabelle Lamour (FRA)
ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR
Elena Murdaca (ITA)
ACCOUNTING MANAGER
Margarita Berdoz (SUI)
ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR
Gabrielle Meylan (SUI)
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Joana Almeida (POR)
Yuki Ota (JPN)
Novak Perovic (RSA) Oleg Peskov (KAZ)
Giorgio Scarso (ITA)
SPORT SPORT DIRECTOR
Krisztian Kulcsar (HUN)
Pascal Tesch (LUX)
SPORT TECHNOLOGY AND ADMINISTRATION MANAGER
Natalia Bodrova (RUS)
Aron Szilagyi (HUN)
SPORT OPERATIONS MANAGER
Sophie Treyvaud (SUI)
Bence Szabo (HUN)
PRESIDENT, AFRICAN FENCING CONFEDERATION
Mbagnick Ndiaye (SEN)
PRESIDENT, PAN-AMERICAN FENCING CONFEDERATION
Vitaly Logvin
PRESIDENT, ASIAN FENCING CONFEDERATION
Celso L. Dayrit (M.H.) (PHI)
PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN FENCING CONFEDERATION
Stanislav Pozdnyakov (RUS)
CMTV DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR
PRESIDENT, OCEANIAN FENCING CONFEDERATION
Helen Smith (M.H.) (AUS)
MEDIA MANAGER
(MEX)
COMMUNICATION, MARKETING, TV
IT MANAGER DIGITAL COORDINATOR HEAD OF FIE TV PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY
Elena Grishina (RUS) Asimina Tsellou (GRE) Marina Shturbabina (UKR) Maria Ntanou (GRE) Barna Heder (HUN) Serge Timacheff (USA) Augusto Bizzi (ITA)
“ PLEASE JOIN ME IN ENJOYING AN EXCITING NEW YEAR OF FENCING ” Dear Friends, In 2017, the FIE continues the strong and enthusiastic programs and activities that, in the previous year, gave fencing a spectacular impression on the world. It is always interesting to see the new talents introduced in a postOlympic year, and we are well on our way to this year being a delight for fencing supporters and fans worldwide.
FOREWORD
Multiple senior and junior world cup events have already taken
As we prepare for the Senior World Championships this
place this year, notably in Algiers, Budapest, Paris, Barcelona,
summer in Leipzig, Germany, the FIE offers the world our next
Heidenheim, and New York, with more to come. Our lineup
quadrennial of competitors, many of whom already have their
of Grand Prix events began in March with the Absolute Long
sights set on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Please join me
Beach Foil Grand Prix, with the world tour continuing in
in enjoying an exciting new year of fencing, and let’s watch
Budapest, Seoul, Shanghai, Bogota, and Moscow. Leveraging
together new fencing talent emerge while we watch and
the resounding success of our Grand Prix series in 2016, these
experience fencing in new and exciting ways.
events will bring fencing through live-streaming video and social media images and reports to a larger, more diverse
I look forward to seeing you
global audience than it has ever been able to reach in history.
and good luck to all our fencers!
FOREWORD
THE WAY TO VICTORY ROMANIAN
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ALGERIA
JANUARY 15, 2017
ALGERIA WOMEN’S FOIL WORLD CUP Italy, France, Russia, and Korea dominated in 2017’s Women’s Foil World Cup, in team and individual events, which took place at the historic Salle Omnisports Hacene Harcha sports arena in Algiers.
WORLD CUP
More than 100 of the women’s best foil fencers competed. The world’s number-one women’s foilist, Italy’s Arianna Errigo, lost to France’s Ysaora Thibus in the semi-final 15-10, who went on to win the individual event against Korea’s Hyunhee Nam, also 15-10. Nam defeated Italy’s Alice Volpi 15-7 in the semi-final. Thibus had a strong day overall, as did all three other finalists, but the French fencer proved strongest and took the gold medal in the final. The top eight places went to Thibus (FRA), Nam (KOR), Errigo (ITA), Volpi (ITA), Deriglazova (RUS), Jeon (KOR), Walczyk (POL) and De Costanzo (ITA). In the women’s team foil event, France defeated USA in the bronze medal match 45-33, but it was Italy who prevailed in the final over Russia 45-33 to win gold. Until that point, Russia had a good day, easily defeating Poland and France to make the finals. USA, Poland, Hungary, Korea, and Japan filled out the remaining positions in the top-eight teams. Complete results may be viewed here for the team event and here for the individual competition.
FULL RESULTS WORLD CUP
SPAIN
JANUARY 20, 2017
BARCELONA WOMEN’S EPEE WORLD CUP Competing against more than 200 top athletes and 20 teams from around the globe, China earned two gold medals at the 41st International Ciutat de Barcelona World Cup Ladies’ Epee Fencing World Cup. The event, which took place from January 20-22, was held at the Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya (INEFC), home to the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
WORLD CUP
FULL RESULTS China’s Yiwen Sun, bronze medalist in the Rio 2016, won the
In a second China-Estonia final, the Chinese women’s epee team
individual competition, defeating Estonia’s Irina Embrich 15-11 in
defeated the Estonian ladies 22-21 in the women’s epee team
the gold-medal round. She beat France’s Melissa Goram in the semi-
competition. Both teams also had close rounds in the semi-finals,
finals, 15-12. Embrich defeated Hungary’s Olympic champion Emese
with Estonia beating Russia 32-31 and China overcoming France 45-
Szasz (gold, Rio 2016) in the semi-finals, 15-12, to make the final
41. Russia then achieved a third-place win against France, 45-38, to
against Sun.
earn the bronze.
The top-eight overall ranking from the individual event places Yiwen
Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and
Sun (China, gold) in first place, followed by Irina Embrich (EST, silver),
results for the team event are here. The official Website for the Ciutat
Melissa Goram (FRA, bronze), Emese Szasz (HUN, bronze), Daria
de Barcelona can be found at www.esgrima.cat/ciutatdebarcelona.
Martynyuk (RUS), Ewa Nelip (POL), Alberta Santuccio (ITA), and Beate Christmann (GER).
WORLD CUP – BARCELONA WOMEN’S EPEE WORLD CUP
FRANCE
JANUARY 20, 2017
PARIS MEN’S FOIL CIP WORLD CUP
USA’s Alexander Massialas and Italy’s men’s foil team both won gold in Paris at the Challenge de Paris (CIP) 2017 Fencing World Cup from January 20-22. The event featured more than 200 individual men’s foil fencers and more than 20 teams from around the world.
WORLD CUP
Massialas, silver medallist from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, advanced easily to the round of sixteen where he narrowly defeated Italy’s Guillaume Gianchi, 15-14. He went on to beat Italy’s Francesco Trani 15-12 in the table of eight, and then to overtake Italian Giorgio Avola in the semi-finals, 15-11. In the gold-medal final, Massialas prevailed against Russia’s Timur Safin, 15-14. The top-eight overall ranking from the CIP places Alexander Massialas (USA, gold), followed by Timur Safin (RUS, silver), Giorgio Avola (ITA, bronze), Taegyu Ha (KOR, bronze), Richard Kruse (GBR), Gerek Meinhardt (USA), Francesco Trani (ITA), and Toshiya Saito (JPN). Italy overtook France in the men’s team event, with a final score of 4521. France defeated Japan 45-38 in the semi-finals, while Italy barely overtook USA, 45-44. In the battle for third place, USA earned a bronze medal against Japan, 45-34. Top-eight ranking for the men’s foil team competition finished with Italy in first place (gold), followed by France, (silver), USA (bronze), Japan, Russia, Korea, Germany, and Poland. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and
FULL RESULTS
WORLD CUP
results for the team event are here. The official Website for the CIP can be found at www.escrime-cip.com.
USA
JANUARY 27, 2017
NEW YORK WOMEN’S SABRE WORLD CUP France scores double gold at the New York Women’s Sabre World Cup. France scored a double victory this weekend in the United States, earning gold medals in individual and team women’s sabre competition at the New York Women’s Sabre World Cup held in Brooklyn, New York. Held only a short walk from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, the competition took place January 27-29 with nearly 150 individual women fencers and 15 teams.
WORLD CUP
French sabre fencer and World Championship silver medallist Cecil ia Berder defeated Olympic champion Jiyeon Kim in the final match 15-11. Berder overcame USA’s Dagmara Wozniak in the round of eight 15-13, after Wozniak earlier took out Russian powerhouse Yana Egorian in the 32, 15-12. The French fencer beat Italian Irene Vecchi in the semi-finals in a very close match that finished 15-14. In the team match, Korea again faced France. With an early lead against Korea, the French finished the match 45-33 to earn its second gold for the weekend. In the match for third place and the bronze medal, Russia prevailed over Hungary 45-36.
WORLD CUP
Overall individual rankings place Cecilia Berder in first place, followed by Jiyeon Kim (KOR, silver), Martina Criscio (ITA, bronze), Irene Vecchi (ITA, bronze), Anna Marton (HUN), Manon Brunet (FRA), Loreta Gulotta (ITA), and Dagmara Wozniak (USA). Overall team rankings place France in first place, followed by Korea (silver), Russia (bronze), Hungary, USA, Italy, Japan, and Ukraine. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here. The official Website for the event can be found at
FULL RESULTS
www.usfencing.org/page/show/2756010-2017-women-s-sabre-world-cup.
WORLD CUP
GERMANY
JANUARY 26, 2017
HEIDENHEIMER MEN’S EPEE WORLD CUP The Heidenheimer Pokal Men’s Epee World Cup, held January 26-28 in Heidenheim, Germany, completed with Korea’s Kyoungdoo Park and Team Italy taking home gold medals. More than 300 individual competitors and 34 teams participated from around the world.
WORLD CUP
France won double-silver, with Yannick Borel giving a tough battle to the Korean in the final of the individual round, finishing 15-13. Park had an overwhelming victory over Japan’s Koki Kano in the semi-finals, 15-5. The Italian team overtook France 45-40 in, after a quick 14-13 win over China in the semi-finals. The top-eight individual rankings included Kyoungdoo Park (KOR, gold), Yannick Borel (FRA, silver), Koki Kano (JPN, bronze), Mate Tamas Koch (HUN, bronze), Enrico Garozzo (ITA), Nikolai Novosjolov (EST), Daniel Jerent (FRA), and Jonathan Bonnaire (FRA). Overall team ranking places Italy at the top, followed by France (silver), Ukraine (bronze), China, Korea, Venezuela, Switzerland, and Hungary. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here.
FULL RESULTS WORLD CUP
POLAND
FEBRUARY 3, 2017
GDANSK WOMEN’S FOIL WORLD CUP The Gdansk Artus Court Women’s Foil World Cup, held February 3-5, completed with Russia’s Svetlana Tripapina winning her first-ever world cup gold medal and Italy taking the gold in women’s team foil.
WORLD CUP
Tripapina beat France’s Pauline Ranvier, 15-5, after beating second-ranked and Olympic bronze medallist Lee Kiefer (USA) 15-13 in the semi-final. Olympic gold medallist Inna Deriglazova lost to Ranvier in the table of 16 by a single touch, 15-14. Overall individual rankings place Svetlana Tripapina in first place (RUS, gold), followed by Pauline Ranvier (FRA, silver), Astrid Guyart (FRA, bronze), Lee Kiefer (USA, bronze), Martina Batini (ITA), Adelina Zagidullina (RUS), Valentina Cipriani (ITA), and Camilla Mancini (ITA). In the team event, France lost to Italy in the final, 45-44. France had an easier time in the semi-final against Russia, winning 45-33, while the USA missed the finals by only two points against Italy with a final score of 45-43. In the bronze match, Russia prevailed over USA 45-35 to make the medal stand. Overall team rankings place Italy in first place, followed by France (silver), Russia (bronze), USA, Korea, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here.
FULL RESULTS WORLD CUP
ITALY
FEBRUARY 3, 2017
MEN’S SABRE WORLD CUP PADOUE 2017 Hungarian Andreas Szatmari took gold at the Luxardo Trophy Men’s Sabre World Cup, held February 3-5 in Padua, Italy, along with the Korean men’s foil fencers taking the team gold. The event had more than 20 international teams and nearly 200 individual fencers.
WORLD CUP
Szatmari took out Iranian and fifth-seed Mojtaba Abedini 15-12 in the final, after a stunning defeat of Korea’s Junghwan Kim in the semi-finals, 15-8. Abedini won a very close semi-final match against another Korean, Sanguk Oh, 15-14, to make the final. Until that point, Oh had a very strong day, in particular having beaten Hungary’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Aron Szilagyi 15-11 in the table of eight. The top-eight overall individual ranking from Padua places Andras Szatmari first (HUN, gold), followed by Mojtaba Abedini (IRI, silver), Junghwan Kim (KOR, bronze), Sanguk Oh (KOR, bronze), Aron Szilagyi (HUN), Kamil Ibragimov (RUS), Luca Curatoli (ITA), and Andriy Yagodka (UKR). The Korean men’s sabre team scored a very tight victory in the gold-medal round against home-favorite Italy 45-44, after a stronger win in the semifinals against Iran, 45-34. For the bronze medal, Hungary beat Iran 45-32. Overall team rankings place Korea in first place, followed by Italy (silver), Hungary (bronze), Iran, Russia, France, Germany, and USA. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here.
WORLD CUP
FULL RESULTS
GERMANY
FEBRUARY 10, 2017
BONN MEN’S FOIL WORLD CUP Four-time world champion and home-country favourite Peter Joppich took gold this weekend at the Löwe von Bonn Men’s Foil World Cup in Bonn, Germany from February 10-12. France also earned first place in the team men’s foil event. More than 200 fencers competed as well as 22 teams from across the globe.
WORLD CUP
Joppich finished the gold-medal round 15-11 against France’s Enzo Lefort. Joppich beat USA fencer Miles Chamley-Watson in the round of eight to make the semi-finals against the American’s teammate. The German champion then overcame USA’s Race Imboden easily in the semi-final, 15-5, while Lefort barely edged-out Russia’s Timur Safin, 15-14. The top-eight overall individual ranking from Bonn places Peter Joppich first (GER, gold), followed by Enzo Lefort (FRA, silver), Race Imboden (USA, bronze), Timur Safin (RUS, bronze), Miles Chamley-Watson (USA), Alexey Cheremisinov (RUS), Jun Heo (KOR), and Alex Tofalides (CYP). In the men’s team foil event, France defeated Italy with a strong finish of 4534. The Italians took a default win against USA in the semi-final 40-20, due to the Americans having to take a medical withdrawal. Meanwhile, Russia lost to France 45-38. Overall team rankings for the men’s foil event place France first (gold), followed by Italy (silver), Russia (bronze), USA, Korea, China, Germany, and Brazil. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here. More details may also be found on the Bonn
FULL RESULTS
WORLD CUP
Olympic Fencing Club site at ofc-bonn.de.
ITALY
FEBRUARY 10, 2017
LEGNANO WOMEN’S EPEE WORLD CUP Estonia’s Julia Beljajevo and China’s women’s epee team both won gold medals this weekend in Italy at the Legnano Women’s Epee World Cup, which took place from February 10-12. Nearly 200 women from around the world participated in the competition, which also included 21 country teams.
WORLD CUP
Beljajevo defeated France’s Lauren Rembi 12-8 in the final. Rembi, who took fourth place in the Rio 2016 Olympics, beat Ukraine’s Dzhoan Feybi Bezhura in a low-scoring semi-final match, 4-3, to make the finals against Beljajevo. The Estonian overtook Tunisia’s Sarra Besbes 15-11 in the other semi-final. The top-eight overall individual ranking from Legnano places Julia Beljajevo first (EST, gold), followed by Lauren Rembi (FRA, silver), Sarra Besbes (TUN, bronze), Dzhoan Feybi Bezhura (URK, bronze,), Irina Embrich (EST), Injeong Choi (KOR), Marta Ferrari (ITA), and Kamila Pytka (POL). The Chinese women’s epee fencers won the team event 28-25. The Estonians beat Korea in a fast-paced but low-scoring semi-final, 15-12, and China edged-out Ukraine 34-33 in the other semi-final. In the bronze-medal match, Korea took the medal against Ukraine, 45-34. Overall team rankings for the women’s team epee event place China first (gold), followed by Estonia (silver), Korea (bronze), Ukraine, France, Russia, USA, and Romania. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here.
FULL RESULTS
WORLD CUP
GREECE
FEBRUARY 17, 2017
ATHENS WOMEN’S SABRE WORLD CUP Hungarian women’s sabre fencer Anna Marton took the gold medal this weekend in Athens at the Acropolis World Cup, accompanied by the Russian women’s sabre team also earning first place in the team event. Held at the Athens Olympic Complex, the event took place from February 17-19 and featured more than 150 top-ranked Olympic and world women’s fencers and teams from 22 countries.
WORLD CUP
Marton won the final match against French sabre fencer Manon Brunet 15-11, having beaten another French fencer, Charlotte Lembach, in the semi-final, 15-8. She also defeated Russian fencer Yana Egorian 15-13 in the round of eight, giving the Hungarian one of the strongest victories of her career to-date. Brunet also had a strong day, having defeated Korean Olympic gold medallist Jiyeon Kim 15-9 in the semi-final. Overall rankings place Anna Marton first (HUN, gold), followed by Manon Brunet (FRA, silver), Jiyeon Kim (KOR, bronze), Charlotte Lembach (FRA, bronze), Yana Egorian (RUS), Rossella Gregorio (ITA), Sandra Marcos (ESP), and Bianca Pascu (ROU). In the women’s team sabre match, Russia overcame Korea in a very tight race for gold, 45-44. Both teams had a tough ascent to the gold-medal round, Russia having defeated Italy in the semi-final 45-34 and Korea beating Ukraine 45-24. The bronze medal went to Italy over Ukraine, 45-33. Overall team rankings place Russia first (gold), followed by Korea (silver), Italy (bronze), Ukraine, France, USA, China, and Poland. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here.
FULL RESULTS
WORLD CUP
CANADA
FEBRUARY 19, 2017
VANCOUVER MEN’S EPEE WORLD CUP Switzerland’s Max Heinzer duelled his way to gold at the Vancouver Peter Bakonyi Epee World Cup this weekend, and the Czech Republic men’s epee team also took first place. Held February 17-19 at the beautiful Richmond, British Columbia Olympic Oval sports facility, the event drew more than 150 individual fencers and 23 world teams.
WORLD CUP
Heinzer’s final match came against a come-from-behind Cuban, Yunior Reytor Venet, who earned the highest-place finish yet in his career. In a near-upset, the Cuban lost to the Swiss fencer by a single point, 14-13. Venet had defeated Finnish epeeist Niko Vuorinen in the semi-final, 15-14, while Heinzer took out French champion swordsman Yannick Borel 15-12. The top-eight overall individual ranking from Vancouver places Max Heinzer first (SUI, gold), Yunior Reytor Venet (CUB, silver), Yannick Borel (FRA, bronze), Niko Vuorinen (FIN, bronze), Daniel Jerent (FRA), Marco Fichera (ITA), Masaru Yamada (JPN), and Anatolii Herey (UKR). In the men’s team epee event, the Czech Republic earned a stunning gold for the day, defeating the 2015 World Champion Ukrainian team 40-35. Prior to the final, the Ukrainian men took out Italy 40-39 and the Czech fencers defeated France 45-44. The bronze medal went to Italy over France, 45-38. Overall team rankings place Czech Republic in first place (gold), followed by Ukraine (silver), Italy (bronze), France, Hungary, Israel, Switzerland, and Kazakhstan. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here. The official Website for the event can be found at www.vancouverworldcup.com.
FULL RESULTS
WORLD CUP
POLAND
FEBRUARY 26, 2017
WARSAW MEN’S SABRE WORLD CUP Korean Olympic bronze medallist Junghwan Kim overtook Hungarian two-time Olympic Gold Medallist Aron Szilagyi in Poland to win the “Sabre de Wolodyjowski” Fencing World Cup, along with the Romanian men winning the team event. Nearly 200 topranked world fencers took part in the sabre competition, along with teams from 22 countries around the globe.
WORLD CUP
FULL RESULTS Kim beat his teammate and Olympic silver medallist, Bongil
In the men’s team sabre match, Romania took a spirited
Gu, in the semi-final, 15-11, before winning another 15-11
gold medal with a very tight final score of 45-44 against
bout against Szilagyi for the gold medal. Similarly, Szilagyi
Italy. In the semi-finals, Italy had a strong win against Korea,
also had to defeat his teammate, Csanad Gemesi, in the
45-34, while Romania prevailed in another tight match
semi-final with a score of 15-10.
against Hungary, 45-44. The bronze medal went to Korea over Hungary, 45-43.
Overall rankings from the individual competition place Junghwan Kim in first place (KOR, gold), followed by Aron
Overall team rankings place Romania at the top (gold),
Szilagyi (HUN, silver), Csanad Gemesi (HUN, bronze), Bongil
followed by Italy (silver), Korea (bronze), Hungary, Germany,
Gu (KOR, bronze), Mojtaba Abedini (IRI), Daryl Homer (USA),
USA, Russia, and Iran.
Kamil Ibragimov (RUS), and Tom Seitz (FRA). Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here.
WORLD CUP
CHINA
FEBRUARY 20, 2017
YANGZHOU WOMEN’S SABRE WORLD CUP France’s Brunet, Team Usa Win Gold In Yangzhou Women’s Sabre World Cup. France’s Manon Brunet is taking gold home from China this weekend after winning the individual event at the Yangzhou Women’s Sabre World Cup. France also made the finals against USA in the women’s team sabre event, although the American women won the match. More than 130 women fencers articipated in the event, with 16 teams.
WORLD CUP
Brunet, currently ranked second in the world, faced her teammate, Sara Balzer, in the final. This was the 21-year-old’s second world-cup gold medal, after winning the Orleans World Cup in her home country last year. The French champion also took a silver medal last month at the Athens World Cup. For Balzer, winning silver was her best-ever result at this level of world competition. Two-time Olympic gold medallist Mariel Zagunis, back in competition after a several month break, shared bronze with Italy’s Martina Criscio. The top-eight overall individual ranking from Yangzhou places Manon Brunet in first place (FRA, gold), followed by Sara Balzer (FRA, silver), Martina Criscio (ITA, bronze), Mariel Zagunis (USA, bronze), Rossella Gregorio (ITA), Saoussen Boudiaf (FRA), Monica Aksamit (USA), and Sabina Mikina (AZE). The USA women’s sabre team edged-out France in a very close match, 45-43, to win gold. USA had another tight round with Hungary in the semifinals, narrowly winning by only one point, 45-44. Italy then took the bronze medal against Hungary, winning with a final score of 45-25. Overall team rankings place USA in first place (gold), followed by France (silver), Italy (bronze), Hungary, Korea, China, Ukraine, and Spain. Full results for the individual competition can be found here, and results for the team event are here.
FULL RESULTS
WORLD CUP
LONG BEACH, BUDAPEST, AND SEOUL: FENCING GRAND PRIX EVENTS CIRCLE THE GLOBE SECOND ROUND OF NINE WORLD FOIL, EPEE, SABRE SIGNATURE EVENTS DRAW ELITE FENCING COMPETITORS FROM ALL CONTINENTS TO USA, HUNGARY, AND KOREA In the second-round of this season’s nine key fencing Grand Prix competitions sponsored by the FIE, fencers from virtually every continent traveled to the USA, Hungary, and the Republic of Korea seeking gold in foil, epee, and sabre events. Each Grand Prix featured men’s and women’s individual events and enjoyed very strong turnouts of high-level athletes, with competitors earning essential and valuable points as they vie for ranking ahead of this summer’s Senior World Fencing Championships being held in Leipzig, Germany.
GRAND PRIX
The California, USA Absolute Fencing Gear Long Beach Foil Grand Prix, held in March at the same facility where fencing during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games took place, gave number-one ranked American Olympic foilist Lee Kiefer her second Grand Prix win of the season, after winning gold in Turin in December. Kiefer defeated Russia’s Marta Martyanova after the Russian took out first-ranked Italian Arianna Errigo in the semi-finals. Russia prevailed in the men’s event, with Olympic bronze medallist Timur Safin finding a sunny victory in Southern California as he beat favorite and Olympic silver medallist Alexander Massialas on his home turf. “For sure, my hardest bout today was my first one, with [Great Britain’s] James Davis, which was 15-14,” said the Russian champion, referring the round of 64.
GRAND PRIX
Hungarian capital Budapest, hosted the Westend Epee Grand Prix in late March, where Korean fencers had a very successful weekend, taking home three medals—one gold and two silvers—from two events. London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Jinsung Jung, 33, beat Japanese fencer Kazuyasu Minobe in the final after Minobe took out the Korean’s teammate, Kyoungdoo Park in the semi-final. Nearly 300 fencers took part in the men’s competition, making the event exceptionally challenging and a major achievement for Korean fencing. Italy found victory in the women’s event, with Olympic silver medallist and two-time world champion Rossella Fiamingo defeating Korean Injeong Choi for the gold. This was the best finish for the 23-year-old Korean since she won the Xuzhou (China) Grand Prix in 2013. Another strong event, more than 200 women participated in the Hungarian competition.
GRAND PRIX
More than 200 international sabre fencers trekked to Seoul, Republic of Korea, all hoping to make the April 1 finals in the 2017 SK Telecom Seoul Fencing Grand Prix. The event, which took place on the grounds of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, turned out to be a home-court advantage for Korea, whose champion fencer Junghwan Kim earned his fourth Grand Prix gold medal. The Korean beat France’s Vincent Anstett in the final, after beating Italian Luca Curatoli in the semi-final and his own teammate, Sanguk Oh, in the quarter-final. Russia found its way to the top in the women’s event, with Olympic gold medallist and firstranked Yana Egorian won against Hungarian Anna Marton in the final. This was Marton’s second Grand Prix silver medal this season, after earning the same in Cancun in December. It was a tough day of fencing for the women with many powerful competitors, such as two-time gold medallist Mariel Zagunis, who was defeated by Marton in the quarter-finals. With six of the nine Grand Prix world events now completed for the 2016-2017 season, the ranking is beginning to take shape for the upcoming Leipzig Senior World Fencing Championships in July. The highly anticipated and final Grand Prix rounds of the nine-city series are coming up in May, with a foil event in Shanghai, China, epee in Bogota, Colombia, and sabre in Moscow, Russia. To see the full lineup of FIE competitions, please click here.
GRAND PRIX
A TOUR DE FORCE IN PLOVDIV: THE JUNIOR & CADET WORLD FENCING CHAMPS BRING TALENT, DIVERSITY, AND FRIENDSHIPS TO BULGARIA IT’S A NEW WORLD ORDER OF SWORDSMANSHIP: FENCING IS THRILLING THE MASSES
T
his year’s Junior and Cadet World Fencing Championships took Plovdiv, Bulgaria by storm with a veritable tour de force of impressive skills, new-found friendships, and a global diversity uniquely representative of world fencing. A 14-year-old athletic sensation in
women’s sabre, Natalia Botello, gave Mexico its first-ever World Championship title; a 135th-place Russian epeeist, Egor Guzhiev, upset the number-one swordsman to win gold; and a foilist from Hong Kong, Ka Long Cheung, upset the best-of-the-best to become a new World Champion. All-in-all, these Championships displayed definitively that fencing is enjoying a new world order of diversity, athleticism, and swordsmanship no longer confined to a single continent or region: It is an exciting, global sport that combines a rich history with a bright future.
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The Championships, which lasted 10 days at the Plovdiv International Fair, included nineteen events, including individual and team tournaments for cadet and junior men and women in foil, sabre, and epee. Russia came out on top of the medal count, both in overall medals as well as total gold medals earned; Italy came in second and USA was third overall. Italy and France were tied for second in gold medals achieved. Countries as geographically and culturally diverse as Singapore, Italy, Czech Republic, Turkey, Russia, Mexico, Japan, China, USA, and Greece, among others, not only participated but also are taking home medals from the Championships. The annual event attracts fencers from a broad section of the International Fencing Federation’s (FIE) 151 affiliated country federations around the world. For many of the fencers, these Championships are a first-ever opportunity to duel in a large, international competition. Many others are experienced world fencers, including several Olympic and Senior World Championship athletes and medallists. This was the third time the Championships have been held in Plovdiv, hosted by the Bulgarian Fencing Federation. The sports-friendly and ancient city features many amenities to support a large event such as these Championships, and offers a variety of historical and cultural
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attractions to enrich international visitors. The young athletes enjoy a vast diversity of new and existing friendships and experiences over the ten days, often making friends to last throughout a lifetime of fencing in cadet, junior, senior, and even veteran competition. The FIE also hosted several development programs at the Championships, including an anti-doping education stand featuring quizzes, prizes, and information in cooperation with Bulgarian NADO (National Anti-Doping Agency); a “Donate Your Fencing Gear” program encouraging fencers to contribute used but functional gear to help fencers around the world have access to equipment they might not otherwise be able to access or afford; and a FairPlay program, designed to educate and reward fencers for playing sport in an honorable and fair manner. Additional information on these programs is available on the main FIE website. The FIE also sponsored a traditional annual International Fencing Training Camp, where nearly 50 countries were invited to participate and give teen fencers an exceptional opportunity to train with international fencers as well as a high-level coaching staff. In all, 39 fencers were able to take part in the camp, which lasted more than a week and began prior to the Championships beginning. The program is always an exciting opportunity for fencers, yet presents a challenging learning opportunity for them to further their fencing careers. Coaches at the event included Romania’s
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Petru Kuki (foil), Sweden’s Marcus Ronnmark (epee), Serbia’s Smiljka Rodic (epee), and South Africa’s Gennady Tyshler (sabre). The Championships were broadcast on a dedicated YouTube livestreaming channel, making it globally accessible, very well-received, and highly visible on social media. Mr. Emmanuel Katsiadakis, SecretaryGeneral of the FIE, closed the Championships, saying, ‘…fencing has become a truly global sport, with participants and champions coming from every populated continent to play together in a spirit of excitement, solidarity, and enthusiasm.’ The official FIE flag was then passed-on to the organizers of next year’s Junior and Cadet World Fencing Championships, scheduled to be held in April, 2018 in Verona, Italy. In the cadet events, Russia dominated the medals, taking four golds and nine overall out of a possible 25 total in seven events, including the coveted Cadet Mixed 3-Weapon Team competition. At the same time, the opening evening of finals began with a stunning win by Turkey’s Ibrahim Ahmed Acar, immediately casting the Championships with a new feeling of global fencing diversity. On the second day of individual cadet fencing finals, Mexico’s 14-year-old Natalia Botello took a bronze medal—a precursor to her forthcoming thrilling capture of the Junior Women’s Sabre event later that week.
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The Cadet Mixed 3-Weapon Team format is the newest event in world fencing, and specifically played by cadets. Inspired by mixed zonal team matches at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games, the event was designed to encourage camaraderie among players from common regions with a format of mixed gender and weapons. In the FIE Junior & Cadet World Fencing Championships, individual countries compete against one-another. Basically, the six best fencers in each weapon and gender from each country make-up the teams, based on their results at the Championships in the three days prior to the mixed-team competition. Consequently, a mixed-team comprises three men and three women, one in each weapon, so there are six competitors. Teams play in a relay format for six rounds up to five touches each, yielding a possible winning total of 30 points. The event is fenced in the order of sabre, foil, and epee, and the order of the genders for rounds is determined by a draw on the preceding day (this applies to all matches). The first team to reach 30 points, or to finish with the most points after fencing three minutes of the last (sixth) round, wins.
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In the junior events overall, which included six individual and six team competitions, two individual medallists stand out, in particular. Mexico’s Natalia Botello took the Junior Women’s Sabre gold medal against Greece’s Theodora Gkountoura—both unexpected finalists against a very strong lineup of talented world fencers. Likewise, the final in Junior Men’s Foil, Ka Long Cheung of Hong Kong fenced Japan’s Toshiya Saito, with Cheung taking the gold after both took-out the first- and second-ranked Italian and Russian fencers in the semi-final—once again, demonstrating the new global diversity of fencing talent. The Junior Team events featured a mix of countries taking gold medals, including Poland, Russia, Italy, USA, and France. In particular, USA’s goldmedal win of Junior Men’s Team Foil against Japan stood out as a highly memorable, crowd-pleasing match that went back-and-forth, with both teams falling behind and making comebacks, before USA won by a onepoint victory, 45-44.
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Full results from Plovdiv may be found here and full information about the Championships may be found on the official event website.
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SOUTH KOREA
PARK SANGYOUNG Park Sangyoung epeeist of Korea and Olympic Champion of Rio 2016 in the individual event at the age of 20. Park fought against the Hungarian Imre Geza, 41 years old in the final for the gold medal.
INTERVIEW
1
What is the training program of an Olympic Champion? I applied a lot of training program of Korea national team. Physical training and mental training were conducted both. I believed in many advice and training programs by the coaches of the Korean national team, and I was able to achieve good results. 대한민국 대표팀 훈련 프로그램을 많이 적용했다. 신체적인 훈련과 멘탈적인 훈련이 병행에서 진행되었다. 대한민국 대표팀 감독 및 코치 분들의 많은 조언과 훈련 프로그램을 믿고 했더니 좋은 결과를 이룰 수 있었다.
2
Did the Olympic medal change your personal life and how? I am happy nowadays. Many people greet me on the street. I was given a lot of messages, gifts so on to cheer. I am having a lot of happy times since the Rio Olympics. 대한민국 대표팀 훈련 프로그램을 많이 적용했다. 신체적인 훈련과 멘탈적인 훈련이 병행에서 진행되었다. 대한민국 대표팀 감독 및 코치 분들의 많은 조언과 훈련 프로그램을 믿고 했더니 좋은 결과를 이룰 수 있었다.
INTERVIEW – PARK SANGYOUNG
3
What were your feelings when you qualified for the final match in Rio 2016, before during and after your win?
How important to you and your success is the support of your family and your friends?
The final was very nervous. There was a difficult situation.
There are very important. My family and friends are my ardent
But I kept thinking positively that I could win without giving
supporters. If I have a problem, talk to me. Also If my condition
up. Then I won. I overcame difficulties and felt a sense of
is not going well, They will advise me in many ways. I am
fulfillment. I was happy and happy. The mind made me
getting a lot of energy to them. Thanks to the people around
confident and positive. I still can not forget that impression.
me, I could be in this ranking. I appreciate them.
결승전은 매우 긴장됐다. 어려운 상황도 있었다. 하지만
매우 중요하다. 가족과 친구들은 나의 열렬한 서포터다.
포기하지 않고 이길 수 있다고 긍정적으로 계속 생각했다.
고민이 있으면 들어주고, 시합이 잘 안 풀릴 경우에도
그 후 이겼다. 어려움을 극복하고 나니 성취감이 더
여러 방면으로 조언을 해준다. 많은 힘을 얻고 있다. 주위
배로 느꼈다. 즐거웠고 행복했다. 해낼 수 있다는 생각이
분들 덕분에 현재 이 자리에 있게 될 수 있었다. 앞으로는
자신감과 긍정적인 결과를 만들었다. 아직 까지 그 감동을
내가 감사함을 보답하고 싶다.
잊을 수 없다.
4
5
With few words, how would you describe your experience at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016? It looked like a festival. I thought I enjoyed every game, so I got good results. 하나의 축제다. 매 경기를 즐긴다는 생각 했고, 그래서 좋은 결과를 얻을 수 있었다.
INTERVIEW – PARK SANGYOUNG
6
What is your favorite hobby, when you are not training for fencing? Take pictures. I’m learning about photo skill. I want to take photographs of memories with family and friends. I bought a camera a few days ago and took a lot of pictures. 사진찍기다. 요새 사진을 배우고있다. 가족, 친구간의 추억을 사진으로 담고 싶다. 얼마 전에 카메라도 구입하여 열심히 사진 찍고 다니고 있다.
7
What are your goals for the year 2017 and your participation in the World Championship in Leipzig in July? The first is to finish a season without injury. Because I had spend injury time hard. So I want to finish a season well. The second is to achieve the Grand Slam by winning the World Championships. After that, I would like to continue my career based on steady grades. 첫번째로는 부상없이 한 시즌을 잘 마치는 것이다. 부상으로 인한 시간들이 너무 힘들었기 때문에, 한 시즌을 건강하게 마치고 싶다. 두번째로는 세계선수권 대회에서 우승을 하여 그랜드슬램을 달성하는 것이다. 그 후에는 꾸준한 성적을 바탕으로 선수생활을 이어나가고 싶다.
INTERVIEW – PARK SANGYOUNG
FIE & NATIONAL FEDERATION NEWS
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AT THE JUNIOR & CADET WORLD FENCING CHAMPIONSHIPS PLOVDIV, BULGARIA At the 2017 Junior & Cadet World Fencing Championships in Plovdiv, young and talented fencers had the opportunity to participate in multiple FIE-sponsored programs to educate, inform, and support them in a variety of ways.
DEVELOPMENT – PLOVDIV
ANTI-DOPING MISSION A stand representing the FIE Anti-Doping Education Outreach Program gave fencers in Plovdiv a source for information and an opportunity to play anti-doping education games. Dr. Clare Halsted, a member of the FIE Medical Commission, was on-hand to oversee the stand and ensure fencers were fully briefed on anti-doping. Members of the Bulgarian National Anti-Doping Agency (NADO) and a representative of the FIE antidoping unit were also on-hand as educators. “Our mission is to educate juniors and cadets so they are aware of what they need to do to not have any anti-doping problems’, she stated.” At the anti-doping stand, fencers took a WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) quiz to learn and win a prize. The FIE offered a twice-daily prize to randomly selected participants in the quiz. This year, the program experienced a 60 percent increase in the number of people taking part over last year’s presence in Bourges.
DEVELOPMENT – PLOVDIV
FAIR PLAY INITIATIVE The FIE’s Fair Play Council strives to educate athletes about Fair Play, and to recognized exceptional examples of fairness in fencing. Bert van de Flier, the Fair Play Council President, was on-hand in Plovdiv to work with teenagers at a dedicated stand. “We talk about Fair Play meaning going the “extra mile”, having fun together, and fighting in fairness’, he said. ‘It occurs before, during, and after the bout, it’s the attitude towards the referee, and it’s about making our sport enjoyable for everyone involved” The Fair Play Council is working on a number of initiatives to promote Fair Play in fencing, including marketing activities, producing a video dedicated to fencing. More than 300 cadets took part in a special Fair Play game in the stand in Plovdiv, where a group of fencers had to catch-and-lift blocks with commonly held ropes—thus learning the value of teamwork, shared leadership, and other essential skills the promote fairness in fencing and sport overall. These programs overall help build younger fencers not only as athletes, but
FIE.ORG
as individuals and conscientious citizens, as well. In keeping with fencing’s traditions in history, they are building athletes’ characters and preparing them for successful lives in whatever fields, sports, or relationships they develop throughout life.
DEVELOPMENT – PLOVDIV
FIE & NATIONAL FEDERATION NEWS
FEBRUARY 14, 2017
NEPAL HOLDS SECOND NATIONAL FENCING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Nepal has held its second National Fencing Championships, which took place in Kathmandu at the end of December. In collaboration with the country’s National Sports Council, the event was organized by the Nepal Fencing Association and took place as part of the Nepal 7th National Games. Held from December 28-30, 2016, the competition was inaugurated by Mr. Jeevan Ram Shrestha, President of the Nepal Olympic Committee. Mr. Shrestha emphasized he wanted the Championships ‘to be successful, in order to promote fencing in Nepal’. Four teams took part overall, including Central and Western Region Teams, the Nepal Army, and the APF Club. Overall, 96 fencers participated throughout the three-day competition, including individual and team events in foil, sabre, and epee.
NEPAL HOLDS SECOND NATIONAL FENCING CHAMPIONSHIPS
FIE & NATIONAL FEDERATION NEWS
JANUARY 18, 2017
FIE ANNOUNCES WORLD FENCING DAY MOSCOW, Russia—The International Fencing Federation (FIE) recently announced ‘World Fencing Day’ at its Executive Committee meeting and annual congress meeting, with the aim of promoting the values of fencing and various sports-related subjects. The FIE continues to strive to bring a broader global audience closer to fencing as participants and spectators.
On the second Saturday of each September (on the 9th this year), World Fencing Day will feature a specific theme promoting the value of fencing (e.g., youth involvement, respect, universality, etc.) or sport/ societal subject (e.g. anti-doping, technology, etc.). The FIE will have worked with national federations and zonal confederations to plan the event, which will be able to choose how they will promote the day and theme in their respective regions. A variety of events and applications of the event will take place, including, projects, videos, social media coverage, demonstrations, etc. A specific theme for 2017 will be announced in the coming months, at which time the FIE will provide tools and resources for preparing their events, coverage, and support of this special day, along with the appointment of regional fencing role-model ‘ambassadors’ to engage the public. There will be outreach to schools and community organizations, as part of the initiative, and the FIE will present coverage from a wide variety of people and sources in the form of videos, photos, and stories about fencing from around the world. For more information about World Fencing Day or to participate or contribute, please contact Maria.Ntanou@fie.ch at the FIE main office in Lausanne, Switzerland.
WATCH THE VIDEO FIE ANNOUNCES WORLD FENCING DAY
FIE & NATIONAL FEDERATION NEWS
MARCH 15, 2017
ALISHER USMANOV IS COMMANDER OF ITALY’S HIGHEST AWARD
Italian President Sergio Mattarella awarded Alisher Usmanov, President of the International Fencing Federation, the Order “For merits to the Italian Republic”/ Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, 4th Class. This high award was presented to one of the leading Russian philanthropists for his active support of projects for restoration of architectural and art monuments in Moscow and Rome. This primarily involves the restoration of Manor of Berg in Moscow, which has been housing the Italian Embassy since 1924. Besides, restoration embraced famous Roman cultural monuments, such as the Hall of the Horatii and Curiatii in the Capitoline museums, the Fountain of the Dioscuri on the Quirinal Square and the Forum of Trajan in Rome. The Order “For merits to the Italian Republic” is the country’s highest award with which the President decorates people in recognition of their merits in the area of literature, economy, philanthropy and public activities.
FIE & NATIONAL FEDERATION NEWS
MARCH 28, 2017
PASS ON YOUR FENCING GEAR! #AllForFencing
A new thrilling project has seen the light of day at the FIE. At their meeting in Nice on 17th of February, the FIE Executive Committee decided to launch the Pilot project Pass on your fencing gear! The idea behind it is simple: it aims to collect used equipment, which is safe and still in good condition from fencers, with the aim of donating it to fencers living in disadvantaged realities and/or challenging environments. Manufacturers are also invited to contribute their unsold stock.
Pass on your fencing gear! follows the FIE Statutes’ basic principles:
“In order for the fencing world to progress as a whole, solidarity between the strong and the weak is an undeniable requisite, whether it be between continents, federations or athletes. This vision must become real. Our common singular motto: Fencing together, universal fencing.�
At the core of this project you will find the fencers. Pass on your fencing gear! was thought of as a way both to provide those athletes wanting to commit to the development of the sport with a simple yet concrete tool and also to benefit the future potential athletes that were the recipients of that gesture. There are many potential good fencers hidden around the world that only need a little encouragement to know the sport and to bloom. This donation project, aiming at introducing fencing where it is still absent, wants to push the boundaries of the sport further and to give a chance of discovering fencing to people that do not even realise they can fence. Pass on your fencing gear! brings with it a sprinkle of green, it extends the life of the fencing equipment, thus reducing the waste. In this sense, it can also be read as a sustainability initiative.
PASS ON YOUR FENCING GEAR!
The project was conceived as a creative way to provide a solution for many to start fencing, and reduce the obstacle of the equipment, which is still costly in many countries. This will hopefully remove one factor that slows down the development at grassroots level. The charity dimension is at the core of the idea. Solidarity is the key-word for this new move by the FIE, which is mobilises fencers through the direct engagement of the FIE Athletes’ Commission and will play the role of conveyor belt to facilitate the flow of donations. “I am delighted that the FIE launched this project. Pass Down Your Fencing Gear is an excellent illustration how to create a development program which combines social responsibility as well as the aspects of sustainability. It is promising that iconic fencers are standing by because the recipe for its success lies in the hand of our athletes.” Said the FIE Sport Director Krisztian Kulcsar. Nobody was born a fencer, but many have decided to become fencers and devote their lives to this sport. Pass on your fencing gear! appeals to all of them, regardless of the age, category, weapon and ranking. It calls them to remember when and why they once decided to be fencers. It invites them to share their passion as well as their equipment so that other human lives can be impacted and changed through fencing.
PASS ON YOUR FENCING GEAR!
The Cadet and Junior World Championships 2017 will mark the kick-off of the campaign: a collection point will be available in Bulgaria. The delegations participating to the World Championships will be able to collect equipment at home and bring it along to Plovdiv. The stand will serve also those fencers that wish to pass on an item of their equipment after the end of the competition. So, if last year’s uniform is too small for you now, bring it to Plovdiv. Pass on your fencing gear!
PASS ON YOUR FENCING GEAR!
FIE & NATIONAL FEDERATION NEWS
APRIL 06, 2017
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE AND SPORT CELEBRATED BY JUNIORS & CADETS
PLOVDIV, Bulgaria, April 6, 2017— Teen fencers participating in the 2017 Junior and Cadet World Fencing Championships took part in a worldwide celebration on April 6, the International Day of Peace and Sport. This program, driven by the global Peace and Sport (IDSDP) organization based in Monaco, strives to ‘bring together and promote all the initiatives led worldwide to celebrate sport for peace and development’.
Photos and video of athletes, coaches, officials, and supporters around the world are displayed on the official April 6 Web site, all holding a simple white card as a symbolic initiative to celebrate the day and show solidarity behind a common goal of peace worldwide through sports. Participants from many other sports worldwide took part in the celebration, and the timing of April 6 taking place during the World Championships gave fencers a unique opportunity to learn about the program and have fun being part of a global campaign. Founded in 2007 by Modern Pentathlon Olympic Medallist and World Champion Joël Bouzou, Peace and Sport is a neutral and independent worldwide organization, under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. Peace and Sport is operational in using sport and its values as an instrument for peace.
“Its objective is to bring the structuring values of sport to the heart of communities in crisis throughout the world, making sport a vehicle for tolerance, respect and citizenship at the service of sustainable peace.”
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE AND SPORT CELEBRATED BY JUNIORS & CADETS
OBITUARIES Dear Member Federation, we received here in Plovdiv during the European Cadet and Junior Championships the sad information that already on 22nd February Marcus Leyrer had died in Bern after a long period of illness at the age of 87. A well-known former successful Austrian fencer and long-time official of the Swiss Fencing Federation he was many years in charge of Swiss Junior Fencing. Working in Switzerland for an Insurance Company he was one of the co-founders of the junior world cup competitions in KĂźssnacht am Rigi when these events started during the period of former FIE President Pierre Ferri. As team captain of the Swiss juniors he was the organiser of all their participations at world championships for a long time. Marcus was also known as an expert for fencing stamps and his collection was nearly complete, having exchanges with other collectors worldwide. We send our deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and to the Austrian and Swiss Fencing Federations. Stanislav Pozdnyakov PRESIDENT
OBITUARIES