RIYADH: The fencing federations from Saudi Arabia and France have announced a partnership to help develop the sport in the Kingdom.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the World Cadets and Juniors Fencing Championships, which took place at the King Saud University Sports Center in Riyadh.
Sylvie Le Maux, executive director of the French Fencing Federation and vice president of esports at the Olympic Committee, told Arab News: “This convention is a continuation of an agreement signed between the French Olympic Committee and the Saudi Olympic Committee. We believe that our Olympic federations must get closer in our sports.
“We will welcome Saudi athletes to France in order to improve their performance (and) train against French athletes. We (will) also bring high-level coaches to help the Saudi fencing organization. We will work on the training of masters of arms and help the Saudis in the practice of fencing.”
Ludovic Pouille, the French ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said: “France has a long tradition of excellence in fencing, a tradition rooted in our history. For centuries we have been a bastion of fencing, producing some of the greatest masters of this noble art. And this week, our young fencers carried that legacy with honor at these world championships.”
France had a strong showing at this year’s championships as they collected five medals.
The World Cadets and Juniors Fencing Championships, which was organized by the Saudi Fencing Federation, brought together 169 female and 214 male competitors.
