ABRAHAMS AND SASAKI AWARDED EFC REFEREE C LICENCES

Sophie Abrahams and Peet Sasaki have gained their  EFC C licences for Foil, following their performances as referees on the EFC circuit events in 2021.

The EFC C licence is awarded to referees after being independently observed and scoring five “4’s or 5’s” (out of 5) at EFC nominated foil competitions over two seasons. The C licence is also a requirement for entry to the FIE exams.

Both Sophie and Peet are active members of the BF Referee Pathway Programme which is supported by funding from UK Sport. Sophie was one of the first cohort of referees to undergo and pass the revised level 3 referee assessment process and becomes the youngest female GB referee to be awarded an EFC C licence in foil.

On hearing the news, Sophie said “I’m thrilled to have achieved my FIE C license, especially to have finished it during the 2021-2022 season which has been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to taking my FIE B exam in the future. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this process, especially Luke Deamer for his mentoring and guidance and Nickie Bailey and the team at BF for their support.

Peet also said “I’m very pleased to have been awarded the EFC C license, and also to have become officially a British referee! I’m incredibly grateful to the British referee and fencing communities for accepting and supporting me after my migration from the US. I truly enjoy serving the fencers and being a small part of making their competition experience safe, fair, and fun!”

Georgina Usher CEO noted “Both Sophie and Peet have shown great perseverance and dedication as they continue to developing their refereeing skills at a very difficult time, especially for international travel.

I’d like to take this opportunity to formally congratulate them both and welcome them into our growing community of internationally qualified referees that provide invaluable support to our fencers, domestically and abroad.”

Referees interested in joining the BF Referee Pathway Program click here for further information.

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