LAUSANNE (November 29) – Turin plays host to the first of nine Fencing Grands Prix this weekend, signalling the start of the FIE’s flagship regular season competition.
The FGP Series features three Grand Prix in each of the three weapons – foil, epee and sabre – and visits nine iconic cities around the world.
Next month sees the first three Grands Prix, starting on December 2 with the 2016 Trofeo Inalpi in foil in northern Italy.
Local hero and world No. 2 Daniele Garozzo will be the main draw for the home crowd after winning Olympic gold in in Rio de Janeiro. The man he beat in the final, Alexander Massialas of the United States, will also be challenging for the gold. A total of 156 athletes from 31 countries are registered to compete: A full list of entries can be found here.
On the women’s side, world No. 1 Arianna Errigo will look to build on a successful start to her World Cup foil season after winning in Cancun and claiming bronze in St Maur.
Errigo resumes her rivalry with Russia’s Inna Deriglazova, the world No. 2, in Turin.
The 124 athletes from 24 countries can be viewed here.
The competition for both men and women will be held at the SISPORT ( Via Pier Domenico Olivero, 40 - Torino ) for the preliminary rounds and PALASPORT ( Parco Ruffini – Via Bistolfi 10 – Torino) for the medal matches.
Following Turin, the FGP Series calls in on Doha for the epee and Cancun for sabre.
Other than the Olympics and Fencing World Championships, the Grand Prix is the most valuable event on the FIE calendar in terms of ranking points and draws the world’s top athletes.
