LAUSANNE, Switz., Oct. 20, 2022—The FIE has officially called for applications to the 2023 Donate Your Fencing Gear (DYFG) programme. Each year, national federations are called to bid to receive equipment donations from the FIE—generously provided by athletes and manufacturers—to support specific solidarity/development projects or fencing communities in need and living in challenging or disadvantaged environments.
The equipment is tested and approved by the FIE SEMI Commission and distributed to the recipients selected annually. Donors are allowed to specify specific projects or countries to which they would like their equipment distributed.
Equipment is received each year by the FIE from donors at the Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships and Senior Fencing World Championships. Direct distribution of the equipment to the beneficiaries is organised at the World Championships.
In 2017 IOC presented DYFG as an IF Sustainability case study at the IF Forum.
In the application process, national federations are invited to present how the equipment would be used to benefit fencers and/or projects where limited fencing gear is available due to cost or other limitations. In 2019, the last year DYFG was in full operation, the FIE received reports from beneficiaries as to how the equipment was used, along with short videos and photos for use in social media.
These are the countries that have, thus far, benefitted from the programme:
Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, Benin, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Philippines, Samoa, American Samoa, Morocco, Guam, Nigeria, Serbia, Guam.
To apply to be a beneficiary of the Donate Your Fencing Gear! program, please click here.