Fencing

Nguyễn Tiến Nhật of Việt Nam (right) competes with Jose Noelito of the Philippines in the final of the men's epee single match during the 31st SEA Games last month. Nhật will be one of the Vietnamese athletes at the Southeast Asian championship in July. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese fencing team has no time to rest after the 31st SEA Games, as they get ready for a jet-set month of competitions around the world. 

The Southeast Asian and Pacific Fencing Championships will be held on July 4-14 in the Philippines, while the World Fencing Championship tournament event will be from July 15-23 in Egypt.

"We will open door to compete at the Southeast Asian and Pacific championship for athletes of every Vietnamese club. It will be an opportunity for them to test their skills against regional competitors, who showed their strength at the recent SEA Games," said Phùng Lê Quang, head of the Fencing Department of the Việt Nam Sports Administration.

The national team members who won medals at last month's Games will be attending, including Vũ Thành An (men's single sabre), Nguyễn Tiến Nhật (men's single epee) and Bùi Thị Thu Hà (women's single sabre).

At the SEA Games, Việt Nam grabbed five golds out of 12 available. The hosts placed second behind Singapore (six golds) in the medal tally. The Philippines took one title to finish third. 

“We try to send our athletes to as many tournaments as possible so that they can sharpen their skills. After years of the COVID-19 pandemic, my athletes need to compete to collect experience and points for their qualification to the Paris Olympics in 2024," Quang said.

"My fencers trained hard and competed well at the 31st SEA Games. We hope that they will bring the best use of that experience to the regional championship," head coach Phạm Anh Tuấn said.

"These tournaments are not only for senior but also junior athletes, who really need to gain tactical knowledge and real competition experience to better their career."

In other fencing news, the Việt Nam Fencing Federation will hold its first congress in July when the first members of the executive committee will be introduced.

"Most preparation activities for the congress have been done. The federation will ensure that fencing runs better and more effectively," Quang said, revealing that their first President would be Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, PhD, former rector of HCM City's Hồng Bàng International University.

"In developed countries, fencing is not only an elite sport but also a sport for all. There are many clubs established to serve people's demands and to popularise the fencing development in the community," Quang said.

"We hope that the national federation will play a key role in pushing up the fencing movement and finding more social funds for the sport. The local people will have a chance to access easier to fencing and we might find talents for the country," he said. VNS