BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, August 2018—The FIE “Donate Your Fencing Gear” program benefits specific countries in need of material support to develop fencing in their regions, and Kyrgyzstan has been one of the countries selected.
In the original application from the Kyrgyzstan Fencing Federation to the FIE, submitted in 2017, they stated “The main goal and motivation is to develop and popularize fencing in Kyrgyzstan. In our republic there are no professionally equipped halls for fencing”.
This is an excellent example of the purpose and intent of the Donate Your Fencing Gear program, giving pre-owned equipment in good condition from other fencers and coaches to countries in need of developing the sport. The program enables the development of fencing and fencers to practice in areas where they may not have had the resources or the opportunity.
Schools and clubs primarily were the recipients of fencing gear in Kyrgyzstan, such as the club “Mushketery”. Monitoring of the program revealed regular participation of up to 40 fencing students overall, across all recipients, including 25 junior and cadet athletes. In addition, the Federation began to organize camps and competitions throughout the schools and clubs.
The Kyrgyzstan application further stated, “Our main goal is to create a fencing hall for holding championships and international competitions … we hope that with additional equipment we will have the opportunity to use this in secondary schools to develop youth fencing”.
The first step towards increased fencing activity, in addition to providing equipment to youth fencers and schools, is the Kyrgyzstan Federation’s plan to hold the Asian U-23 Championships. They believe the equipment will aid greatly in their ability to train and prepare fencers for the event.
Click here to view the global list of donors 'Donate your fencing gear' program.