The International Fencing Federation is thinking big: a 30% increase in global participation; more than 160 countries active at international events; 15% annual growth in digital audience; 40% female representation on all governance committees; and a top-five ranking among Olympic federations in governance and transparency. These are the goals the FIE plans to achieve by 2028 with its new strategic plan. “By 2028, the FIE will be recognized as a benchmark for institutional excellence, fairness in competition, and global fan engagement,” it states. A clear message about its ambitions.
Limit the number of mandates, move closer to parity and rejuvenate the audience
The FIE has broken down this plan into five areas. First, governance, which it hopes will be more modern and representative. To this end, starting in 2026, the FIE's statutes will be revised, a scholarship program on women's and youth governance will be launched, and a policy limiting mandates and preventing conflicts of interest will be implemented. The body aims for 40% gender parity in all elected committees by 2027 and a ranking among the best IFs by the ASOIF within the same timeframe. It is starting from a long way off, since in its last report, dated June 2024, the ASOIF distinguished the IFs' performance into three groups: the FIE was neither in the first, composed of 7 IFs, nor in the second, which has 13, but in the last.
The participation and promotion component is cited as the second area of action. The FIE plans to launch a "multilingual mobile application" in 2027, develop partnerships with TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch influencers, launch the "Fencing in Schools" program in more than 50 countries by 2028, and implement a "Fencing 2.0" media strategy focused on Generation Z by early 2026. These initiatives should enable fencing to gain visibility, increase the number of subscribers on social networks by 15% each year, reduce the average age of spectators by 5 years, and boost global participation (+30% by 2028).
Sustainability, Education and Leadership
To advance development and sustainability, the FIE is focusing on its "Fencing for the Planet" program, a partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and UNESCO, and the introduction of sustainability standards at all FIE events. The goal is to reach 100.000 young people through peace-focused programs, increase sponsorship revenues by 25% by 2028, optimize digital monetization to generate at least 10% of the total budget by 2027, and create "an e-commerce platform for events, merchandise, and services" by 2027.
In the field of education and harmonization, in addition to the launch of an International Coaching and Refereeing Academy, the FIE announces the creation of a unified global ranking portal with information provided by AI (2026) and the standardization of biometric tracking of athletes and electronic refereeing systems (2027). It is counting on 25% more certified referees and coaches by 2027, 50% fewer errors regarding hits thanks to technology and an 85% athlete satisfaction level.
The final focus: strengthening national federations, increasing participation, collaboration, and communication, while ensuring gender-balanced and diverse governance. The FIE will implement webinars, mentoring programs, and leadership conferences. It will publish a gender equality plan and annual reports on progress. The milestones to follow: 30% women in leadership positions in national federations by 2028; quarterly coordination calls and NF roundtables starting in 2026; publication of a leadership and governance handbook by the end of 2028.
Progress made over the coming years will be regularly assessed. This will help to project a different image from that of an IF whose president, Alisher Usmanov, is subject to international sanctions due to his ties to the Kremlin and cannot even visit the organization's headquarters, as he is banned from Switzerland.
