"The Heart Supporting the Children... Saw the Future of Fencing Korea"

Kim Young-ho, President of the Used Fencing Federation, Shares Thoughts on First Tournament Since Inauguration
Parents Also Restricted Due to Quarantine Guidelines... Plans to Maximize Openness Going Forward

"The feelings of parents cheering for their children are all the same. It must be so frustrating not to be able to come to the gym and watch the matches."

This is Kim Young-ho's (50) reflection on his first tournament as the president of the Korea Middle and High School Fencing Federation. The federation held the 33rd National Men’s and Women’s Fencing Championships from the 17th to the 22nd at the Cheongchun Gymnasium in Yanggu, Gangwon Province. All matches were held without spectators. To prevent COVID-19, access was restricted to 784 student athletes, coaches, and federation executives. From 30 minutes before the start of the matches, entry logs were checked at the entrance, and thorough disinfection procedures were followed.

Despite the no-spectator notice, the area in front of Cheongchun Gymnasium was crowded with parents who came to watch the matches from early morning. They all wished for their children’s success through the windows. Jung Myung-hwan, the federation’s executive director, said, "It was heartbreaking to see groups of parents clinging to the windows, anxiously watching." President Kim, who raised his daughter Kim Ki-yeon (Daegu University) as a fencing athlete, could not even lift his head out of guilt. "You know better than anyone what kind of feelings they had coming to the venue. We even held an emergency board meeting to review access, but there was talk of possibly canceling the tournament. We had no choice but to blame COVID-19."

President Kim personally met with the mothers to ask for their understanding. He promised that at the National Men’s and Women’s Middle and High School Fencing Championships, to be held in Iksan, Jeonbuk in July, admission would be allowed at 30% of the venue’s capacity. "Even if it’s a no-spectator match, parents cannot avoid coming. From now on, we plan to open the venue as much as possible while complying with quarantine guidelines. I hope COVID-19 calms down and the gymnasium fills with cheers again."

Despite the quiet atmosphere, the overall quality of the matches was evaluated to have improved. This is because club players entered the medal ranks, signaling fierce competition. Among them were Kim Min-hyuk (North London College Ace School Jeju, 3rd place) in the boys’ middle school foil individual event, Yoon Chae-young (Branksome Hall Asia, 2nd place) in the girls’ middle school sabre individual event, and Kim Si-yeon (Chadwick International School Songdo, 1st place) in the girls’ middle school foil individual event.

President Kim said, "They have skills good enough to transition into elite athletes," adding, "They can become a new driving force to enhance the competitiveness of Korean fencing. We are struggling to select elite athletes from middle and high schools. If students who discovered their talent while enjoying fencing as a hobby at clubs join in, the gap can be sufficiently filled. I expect they will brighten the future of Korean fencing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.