Only six years old and already ritualistic. Every year since 2017, fencing has celebrated its World Day across the planet. It is held on the second Saturday of September. An event that has become unmissable, marked with a thick line on the calendar by athletes, fencing masters, officials, volunteers and fans of the discipline.
For each edition, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) designates a theme. It aims to reflect the values of sport, but also its priorities and the commitments of its federations. In 2019, for the third vintage, the operation took a very responsible direction: “ Fencing for our planet ». Last year, at the end of a long period of health crisis, she explored an area in tune with the issues of the moment: “ Fencing is for life”.
Saturday September 9, 2023, the global fencing community took up a new theme: “ Fencing is for everyone.” Objective: deliver a message of inclusion and diversity. Express through a formula, throughout a day celebrated on all continents, the essence and values of a sport present in the Olympic movement since the invention of the modern Games in 1896. Open the doors of the clubs wide , halls, competitions and practice locations for athletes, officials and fans of all ages, all origins, cultures and religions, from the most novice to the most successful and experienced.
The result ? Massive. Proof of the growing universality of the discipline, initiatives have grown like ivy all over the planet. In Botswana, the federation organized an outdoor demonstration and initiation session in a park in Gaborone. In Nepal, a group of athletes and coaches met at a hotel to share birthday cake. World Fencing Day was celebrated in Guatemala, Antigua and Barbuda, Indonesia, East Timor and Uzbekistan. In China, fencers and officials joined forces to produce a stunning video showing improvised assaults on the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.
The elite set the example. A video brought together messages from nearly fifteen medalists, individual and team, from the last senior world championships in Milan. Kaylin Hsieh, the Chinese swordswoman from Hong Kong, multiple medalist at the Asian Championships, spoke on her Facebook account: “ It's not just about winning or losing, but also about the journey and the person you become along the way. » The Italian Valentina Vezzali, six-time Olympic foil champion, summed it up in a few words: “ Fencing, my life forever“. The Venezuelan Ruben Limardo Gascon, gold medalist in individual epee at the London 2012 Games and president of the FIE Athletes' Commission, also chose social networks to deliver his message: “ Fencing allowed me to grow as an athlete and as a person. »
Everyone in the clubs and federations, from the grassroots to the elite, the FIE asked to share images, videos, anecdotes and testimonies on social networks, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and LinkedIn. At the time of counting, the body identified more than 130 posts. They reached more than 607.000 people around the world, for a total of 16.600 engagements. Fencing for everyone. And by the greatest number.
