The Women's Sabre World Cup took place from 1 to 3 May 2015 in Beijing (China). It was the first competition for this weapon counting towards the Olympic qualification for Rio 2016. The Chinese Fencing Federation and its Organising Committee made great efforts to ensure the success of this event. They were able to find 4 sponsors to finance the competitions.
The installations and equipment in the main hall were of great quality, strictly compliant with the FIE technical specifications. All participants (athletes, coaches) were particularly satisfied, and this also allowed the referees to work under excellent conditions and manifest all their qualities.
177 athletes, together representing 33 nations, and a total of 22 teams took part in these qualifying events. The first 32 athletes in the FIE ranking were present for the individual event.
The individual competition took place over two days, without great surprises in terms of ranking. The best took the top places, Vélikaya (RUS) was first, Soccha (POL) second, after defeating Zagunis (USA), who shared the third place with Karlan (UKR). For what regards the audience, it was able to enjoy the most spectacular matches.
There was one small surprise in the teams’ competition, where France defeated Russia in the semi-finals, and then proceeded to winning the final over the unavoidable Ukrainian team. The progress made by this team is incontestable and reflects the efforts made. It demonstrates tremendous efficiency. Ukraine and the United States, second and third, respectively, completed the ranking.
FIE and local referees provided quality performances and remarkable work under the guidance of Mr. Kim Chang Gon, FIE refereeing delegate. In addition, a close cooperation with the FIE Supervisor also ensured the smooth running of the competition. The delegations were very satisfied by the level of organisation and the smooth running of these competitions.
The organisational committee, the volunteers, and the safety service have also contributed to the overall success through their sustained actions.
The different competition phases enjoyed broadcasting on the national and regional network, as well as continuous live streaming.
Numerous journalists and photographers covered the various matches or encounters, in particular the fencing demonstration by the children from the various fencing clubs of Beijing.
Faced with such success, the organisers hope to be able to continue hosting the next edition of this Women's Sabre World Cup.
AO Jie
Deputy Sport Director