The British Fencing Board is very pleased to make the first announcement on the shape of our fencing world class programme (WCP) to launch the next cycle, to the Rio Olympic Games.  For our sport this is the start of a great journey – on the way to achieving our big goals for 2024.  We have enhanced funding support from UK Sport for this four year cycle based on our promotion from “basic” funding to “no compromise” status.

The UKS support is specifically for “podium potential” places for athletes capable of qualifying for Rio. Twelve places have been allocated to British Fencing.  The selection process reflects the following:

a)  WCP places are determined by careful evaluation of a wide variety of factors including, but not limited to, world ranking (individual and team) and performance.  (View the selection criteria at here.)

b)  Our four year funding depends on the UKS review of year one.  We have accordingly started with the weapon, as well as the individuals, best equipped to meet this condition – which means most of these places will be filled by Men’s Foil, currently our most successful weapon with the team already in qualifying position.   

c)  Depending on our progress we can seek to justify a further award from UK Sport ahead of Rio. We see the 12 places funded to date as a floor, not a ceiling.  In 2013/14 we intend to make decisive steps toward the all weapon range of talent that is our goal.

We give our warm congratulations and best wishes to these selected fencers:-

James Davis
Richard Kruse
Rhys Melia 
Marcus Mepstead
Husayn Rosowsky
Natalia Sheppard
Corinna Lawrence

Five more places will be filled by Men’s Foilists after planned assessment days.  We will be undertaking two days of rigorous testing in May to ensure that the right athletes are selected in to the remaining places on the Programme.

BF Board Director, Georgina Usher, commented today; “With enhanced funding support from UK Sport we have a renewed focus and determination to enable our top performing athletes to succeed and deliver at World Class Level. This success is vital to demonstrate we can run a truly world class performance program which can be expanded to deliver on British Fencing’s strategic goal of world class success across all six weapons.”

David Teasdale, Chair of the Board of British Fencing