Oman and Kenya are the latest teams to join the list of participating countries for the 2024 Men’s Junior Epee Fencing World Cup, scheduled for December 14-15 at Charterhouse Lagos.
The Asian contingent registered at the last minute for the first Fencing World Cup to be staged in Sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to improve their world ranking at the International Fencing Federation (FIE)-sanctioned tournament. Oman will be represented by Al Harith Salim, who will be accompanied by his coach.
Kenya is coming to Lagos with a 12-man team as part of their build-up to the 2025 Africa Cup, also taking place in Lagos.
The East African nation, which is rapidly gaining ground in the sport, joins the likes of Benin Republic, Togo, Egypt, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and host Nigeria.
The Saudi Arabian team, led by Hassan Abed, will have a
four-man squad.
Additionally, a strong eight-man team from Egypt, the top African fencing nation, is expected to arrive in Lagos this week to affirm their supremacy as the best-ranked team in the competition.
For America-based fencing world champion Mahmoud Elsayed of Egypt, the
tournament is crucial for his world ranking and securing his place in the Egyptian team.
“The competition is crucial to both my world ranking and my position with the Egyptian national fencing team,” he said.
All is set for Charterhouse to host its first international sports tournament. The Nigeria Fencing Federation hopes to use the event to ignite a passion for fencing among young people across the country.
Adeyinka Samuel of the Nigeria Fencing Federation stated, “We are poised to host the world this week as months of preparation will be put to the test with the staging of the first World Cup in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“We hope this will ignite more interest in the sport and attract more well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies. We are excited about the quality of athletes coming to Lagos and hope our athletes compete favourably against top fencers, especially from Egypt and Hong Kong.”
