A new player in the French-speaking sphere of the international sports movement. The Francophone Fencing Alliance (AFE) held its launch meeting last weekend in Paris (March 10 to 12). The first opportunity to bring together, in person or remotely, the representatives of the 12 founding national federations: France, Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Madagascar and Canada.
What are the challenges for the AFE? What ambitions? Sylvie Le Maux, its president, answered questions from FrancsJeux.
FrancsJeux : What was the objective of this first meeting of the Francophone Fencing Alliance?
Sylvie Le Maux : Above all, it was about getting together, all the founding federations, to pose, define and write the projects that we want to carry out together in the short and medium term. It was not a general assembly, but a kick-off meeting. The objective of the AFE is clear: to develop the practice of fencing in the French-speaking world. This requires concrete actions. We determined the main ones during these three days spent together in Paris.
Which of these actions did you put at the top of your list?
The entry of fencing into the program of the Francophonie Games. The next edition has been postponed for a year. It will take place in 2023 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today, fencing is not included. We will determine a very light competition format, closer to a show than a traditional event, then draw up specifications in a few pages. We will propose it to the International Committee of the Games of La Francophonie (CIJF). We are interested in entry into the official program, or as a demonstration sport. This project is led by Tunisia. If this did not happen, we would then work on creating a French-speaking fencing competition. But, there too, with the desire to offer a new format. We want to innovate, not just add one more event to the international calendar.
What about the place of the French language in fencing?
It is at the heart of our second project, supported by Luxembourg: the writing of a French-speaking dictionary of fencing. French is the language of attacks. It is anchored in the history and culture of fencing. But the regulations, in particular, are all in English, for competitions and refereeing. Offering a version in French would be a plus for the French-speaking players in our sport.
Less than 900 days before the Paris 2024 Games, have you mentioned the event and the importance it could have for the AFE?
Of course. But, again, we seek to be practical and pragmatic. The OCOG Paris 2024 offers, in its catalog of Games Preparation Centers (CPJ), 69 sites for fencing. At the French Fencing Federation (FFE), we have signed partnerships with 22 sites, the vast majority of which obviously come from the CPJ catalog. Our French teams regularly travel to the cities where these 22 facilities are located. French-speaking countries will be able to be put in contact, via the AFE, with these partner cities to organize their pre-Games courses, in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
What position will you adopt towards the International Fencing Federation (FIE)?
We want to be a player in international fencing by the Paris 2024 Games. We therefore want to be recognized by the FIE, to have influence, to be consulted, to be partners on projects. But for that, we will have to be more numerous. The AFE was created by 12 founding federations, on three continents, but we have already identified nearly ten others who could quickly join us. We can cite Cameroon, Niger, Lebanon, Albania and even Romania. In the next two months, there may be around twenty of us. We will meet again in July in Cairo, for the world championships. We have already made the decision to organize a general assembly every year, but also to meet regularly on the sidelines of international meetings. French-speaking fencing players want to make their impact and be heard.
