Yeonggwang-gun to Host 'National Category Fencing Championships' from 15th to 22nd

Published 11 Apr.2023 14:15(KST)

Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kang Jong-man) announced on the 11th that it will host the "52nd National Fencing Championships by Category" from the 15th to the 22nd at Yeonggwang Sportium National Sports Center and the Indoor Auxiliary Gymnasium.

This tournament boasts the largest scale nationwide for a single fencing event, with about 1,800 athletes and officials from 240 teams across the country participating.

Yeonggwang-gun will host the 'National Fencing Championships by Category' from the 15th to the 22nd at Yeonggwang Sportium National Sports Center and the Indoor Auxiliary Gymnasium.
[Photo by Yeonggwang-gun]

The competition categories are divided into elementary, middle, high school, university, and general divisions, and will be held in men’s and women’s individual and team events for foil, ?p?e, and sabre.

Additionally, the competition format consists of group leagues followed by knockout tournaments to determine the final winners.

Fencing, a sport traditionally loved in Western Europe and decided by moments of attack and defense, has been somewhat unfamiliar in East Asian cultures.

However, through the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, it has established itself as a strong medal-winning sport for South Korea and has rapidly risen to become a popular national sport.

This tournament has attracted nationwide fencing fans’ attention as the participation of Tokyo Olympic men's sabre team gold medalists Gu Bon-gil, Kim Jun-ho, Oh Sang-wook, and Kim Jung-hwan, as well as 2022 Cairo World Championships women’s ?p?e double champion Song Se-ra, has been confirmed.

A county official stated, “Since this is the first time a fencing competition is held in the county, we are thoroughly maintaining sports facilities for the convenience of visiting athletes and officials, and we are providing full support at the county level, including requesting local lodging businesses to prevent overcharging.”