BRITISH FENCING HOST OLYMPIC FAREWELL LUNCH AT LEE VALLEY

Team GB Fencers head to Holding Camp after fitting send-off

British Fencing sent its London 2012 team off in fantastic style on Wednesday 18^th July 2012.  With just 10 days to go before the start of the Olympic fencing tournament, friends and family were invited to Lee Valley Athletics Centre to have lunch with the team before they departed to the holding camp at Loughborough University.

Chief Executive, Piers Martin, was there to send the team off and said; “It’s great to see them all in their kit and ready to go.  It was important the we gave the athletes friends and family this opportunity to see them before they go into lock down for the Games.  You can see the excitement in their faces and we wish them all the best of luck.”

After a buffet lunch and some formalities the athletes lined up outside the centre for one last photo opportunity before heading to the holding camp.  Messages of support were handed to them as they left.

As they left, the Board Director at the event said; “I speak on behalf of the entire Board in wishing this team – our biggest fencing team in recent memory – the best of luck.  Their preparation, under the stewardship of Alex Newton, has been impeccable.  I would also like to thank Ian Hoy of Beazley for taking the time to come to this lunch and for his generous donation of two tickets for each of our fencers on the day they compete.”

The team will head straight from Loughborough to the athletes’ village on the Olympic Park.  Some of the team will be involved in the Opening Ceremony parade.  The next time we see the others will be on the piste at ExCel.  The BBC will be covering the fencing live everyday on the Red Button.