Tuesday 9th August saw the start of a unique Commonwealth Fencing Championships at SportsDock in East London.
As a result of the postponed Cadet and Junior Championships which were due to take place in New Delhi in 2021, the organisers of CFFC2022 agreed to host, for the first time ever, a championship that incorporated all four age groups, along with, wheelchair fencing events too.
Over the course of 12 days, our Welsh Seniors, Para-fencers, Juniors, Cadets and Veterans competed against the cream of the Commonwealth and lived and breathed the values and behaviours of fencing’s “Friendly Games”. The competition on and around the pistes was intense, but the friendships formed and renewed made this a very special event.
Across the piste (excuse the pun), it is fair to say that of all the countries there, the support given by our fencers and supporters to each other was the most positive, loudest and sustained over the full 12 days of competition. Without doubt, it lifted our fencers to greater efforts and performances, not to mention the impact of being in the ear and head of our competitors. A huge thank you to all our fencers, families, and supporters for their very vocal support whenever we were fencing……it made a difference!
On the piste there were outstanding individual and team performances. For many fencers across the age groups, this was their first Commonwealth Championships, and everyone acquitted themselves magnificently, represented Wales with pride and regardless of their result, will have hugely benefitted from the experience.
A grand total of:
- 1 x Gold
- 2 x Age-group Gold
- 4 x Silver
- 7 x Bronze
medals have been won by Team Wales over the course of these Championships, making it one of the (if not, the) most successful events for us ever at every age group!
A huge amount of work goes into the organisation of these events, and there are too many people to thank individually, but the Board of Welsh Fencing would like to thank the following groups of people without which it would not have been possible:
- The fencers
- The fencer’s families for the commitment and support that you give them
- The team managers for ensuring the smooth running of each age-group’s events
- The coaches for all the pre-, during, and post- event support you have provided for all our fencers
- Everyone who came to support our fencers in London. Your presence was very much felt and appreciated by the whole squad!
The full results are available on Engarde - Commonwealth Championships 2022
The Seniors & Para report can be found here: Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2022 Report - Seniors & Para
The Junior report can be found here: Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2022 Report - Juniors
The Cadet report can be found here: Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2022 Report - Cadets
The Veteran report can be found here: Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2022 Report - Veterans