World’s top fencers set to light up 2017 Senior World Fencing Championships in Leipzig

Running from 19 to 26 July at Arena Leipzig, the eagerly-awaited highlight of the fencing calendar will bring together the world’s top fencers who will be competing in a total of 12 individual and team events in epee, foil, and sabre.

The return to Leipzig for this year’s Senior World Fencing Championships will continue a link between fencing and the city in the eastern German state of Saxony which has developed in recent years into something of a tradition. In 2003 the International Fencing Federation (FIE) celebrated its 90th anniversary here, and in 2005 more than 800 fencers competed at the first World Championship which were staged in the city.

In addition to many other fencing events, Leipzig also hosted the European Championships seven years ago, so many of those fencers competing this time around will be familiar with the city and its surroundings.

To perhaps underline the importance of these Championships is to look at the contingent from Team USA that are expected to compete. Twenty-four U.S. fencers will travel to Leipzig, with two-thirds of those fencers being Olympians who have earned a combined 25 world championship medals, 11 Olympic medals, and boast 27 Olympic appearances.

It promises to be a busy seven days of action which gets underway with the women’s foil and men’s sabre both running from 19 to 21 July.

The men’s epee also begins today until 22 July, before the women’s sabre and women’s epee competitions start on 20 July, running until 22 and 23 July respectively.

Once all the individual competitions are completed, the team tournaments get underway, running from 24 to 26 July. They begin with the women’s foil and men’s sabre running on 24 July, followed by the men’s epee and women’s sabre taking shape on 25 July.

After that it is the women’s epee and men’s foil competitions which will ultimately bring the 2017 World Championships to a close on 26 July.