Second round of FIE Grand Prix Series set to kick off in California

Long Beach in California is the venue for the Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Grand Prix where more than 300 elite foil fencers from around 30 nations are expected to be competing.

Olympic and world champions will be among the competitors lining up for the event including the world number one, Arianna Errigo, and USA women’s champion Lee Kiefer, who is ranked number two.

On the men’s side, world number one Alexander Massialas will be fencing in his home state and can expect stiff competition from world number two, Russia’s Timur Safin, for a Grand Prix which promises to be a tough, and exciting fencing competition.

The Grand Prix will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center, where the 1984 Summer Olympic Games fencing events took place, in what will be the first in the second-round of this 2016-2017 FIE Grand Prix series.

Upon the conclusion of events in California, the Grand Prix action moves swiftly onto Budapest, Romania, for the Westend Grand Prix next weekend with the Men’s and Women’s Epee held from 24 to 26 March.That is closely followed by the Men’s and Women’s Sabre Grand Prix event in Seoul, South Korea, from 31 March to 1 April.

After a short pause in the Grand Prix Series action, three further events follow in May and June. Shanghai, China is the venue for the Men’s & Women’s Foil from 19 to 21 May, closely followed by the Men’s & Women’s Epee in Bogota, Colombia from 26 to 28 May. The action then moves to Moscow, Russia a week later from 2 to 4 June the Men’s & Women’s Sabre.

All these Grand Prix events are a major key to the world rankings and for the 2017 Fencing Senior World Championships, which will be held in Leipzig, Germany from 19 to 26 July.