World No. 1 El-Sayed edged fellow Egyptian Mahmoud Had Mohsen in a tightly contested final, winning 11–10 to become the first gold medallist of the tournament. El-Sayed cruised through the early rounds with dominant performances, but faced a stern test in the semifinals, where he narrowly defeated his brother, Mahmoud El-Sayed, 15–14 in a thrilling bout.

In the women’s foil category, second seed Sara Amr captured her first African title with a commanding 15–8 victory over Côte d’Ivoire’s Isabel Esteban in the final. Amr had earlier overcome her compatriot and 2024 bronze medallist, Noha Hany, 15–13 in the semifinals.

Esteban, who caused a major upset by defeating top seed Malak Hamza of Egypt 15–8 in the other semifinal, settled for silver after falling short against Amr in the final.

Speaking after her victory, a jubilant Amr said she remained composed throughout the competition despite facing tough opponents. “I focused on staying calm and managing each match one at a time. It wasn’t easy, but I’m proud of how I handled the pressure,” she said.

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He is to work with the Nigerian team ahead of the 2025 African Senior Fencing Championships, which will take place from June 25 to 29 in Lagos.

The partnership, signed in December 2024, aims to accelerate the development of fencing in Nigeria through technical support and knowledge exchange.

The deployment of an elite Italian coach is one of the key deliverables of this collaboration.
Riccardo Bardine, a highly respected figure in the international fencing community, will lead a two-week intensive training program for Nigerian coaches and athletes.

Bardine is a certified fencing coach, strength and conditioning expert, and Paralympic sports specialist. He studied Sport Science and completed his fencing education at the prestigious Club Scherma Pisa Antonio Di Ciolo—one of the world’s most renowned fencing institutions.

Bardine brings a wealth of experience, having coached at elite clubs such as Circolo Scherma La Spezia and Club Scherma Rapallo.

He has also served on the coaching staff of Italy’s U17 National Épée Team and has
trained top-level athletes in both foil and épée disciplines.

 
As a former athlete, Bardine boasts an impressive résumé: a bronze medal at the Italian U23 Foil Championships, a silver medal at the National Team Championships (B Series, promoted to A Series), and two selections for the Junior National Épée Team at World Cups.

He is also a certified Olympic weightlifting coach and specialises in physical preparation for both able-bodied and Paralympic athletes.

Beyond the training camp, Bardine will lead the technical crew of Team Nigeria during the African Championships in Lagos.

President of the Nigerian Fencing Federation, Adeyinka Samuel, expressed his  excitement about the development, emphasising the federation’s commitment to growing the sport and enhancing the capacity of both athletes and coaches.
“This is one of the many benefits of our international partnership with a top fencing nation. Bringing a coach of Bardine’s calibre to Nigeria is not only cost-effective but also impactful, as it allows our coaches and athletes, both local and foreign-based, to learn directly from a world-class expert,” Samuel said.

“We remain committed to seeking more support from both the private and public sectors as we work toward our ultimate goal: qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles,” Samuel said.

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The letter stated, “As most of you are no doubt aware, the CFF received bids from
two prospective hosts for the upcoming 2026 CFF Senior-Veteran
Championships.

“After some discussion, it was resolved, by a majority decision of the Board, to provisionally award the event to the Nigerian Fencing Federation, subject to their addressing certain shortcomings identified in their original bid.”

The statement added, “This additional information was submitted to the CFF Technical Committee and reviewed at their meeting on March 19, 2025.
The committee delivered its recommendations to the Board, and these were discussed at the CFF Board meeting of March 27, 2025, after which it was agreed, by majority decision of the Board, to formally award the 2026 CFF Senior-Veteran Championships to the Nigerian Fencing Federation.

The CFF congratulates the Nigerian Fencing Federation on being named host of these championships and wishes them every success in this endeavour.”

An elated President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, Adeyinka Samuel, described the trust reposed in Nigeria as a major boost to the fortunes of fencing in the country.

He, however, appealed for more support from both the public and private sectors for the sport.

“We bid for the hosting rights alongside Australia, and nobody ever gave us a chance to win. But after observing us host the Fencing World Cup in 2024, the CFF was convinced that we are ready to host any world-class tournament.

“I must acknowledge that this would not have been possible without the support of well-meaning individuals, Charter House Lagos, and my board members. With what we have achieved in the last year, the world is now looking towards Nigeria as a nation with the potential to produce champions and host top-class events.

“We are humbled by this honour to host the prestigious tournament, and we will start working towards hosting a befitting tournament. We intend to use this year’s African Senior Championships and the World Cup as tests for the Commonwealth Championships in 2026,” he said.

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“We are thrilled and motivated to continue growing and popularising the sport.
Our efforts during the last World Cup showed we could host this tournament.

“The management of Charter House has pledged their full support, and we will seek more private sector backing to ensure a successful event. Hosting this tournament will also help our fencers compete with the best in the world as they aim to secure tickets to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.”

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Impressed with the organization of the first fencing World Cup in Sub-Saharan Africa, Aiyenuro noted that assembling some of the world’s best fencers in Lagos confirms Nigeria’s growing status in the sport.

She assured that British Fencing would partner with Nigeria to train its personnel, including coaches and referees, to be technically on par with the rest of the world.

“I think we are privileged to have some of the top fencing nations come here and compete. We have a world champion here, which shows that they believe in Nigeria’s ability to host a top-tier competition. I’m impressed; the quality of the fencing is world-class.

“We are already working on a collaboration with the Nigeria Fencing Federation to train more referees and coaches. There is potential here, and the federation is forward-thinking, trying to make these things happen,” she said.
For 17-year-old Oluwashemilore Fashola, competing against some of the best fencers in the world has boosted his confidence ahead of future international tournaments.
“I’m very excited and proud of Nigeria for securing the hosting rights for this competition. It’s a great experience, especially since it’s my first. I’ve met many fencers, and they can see how far Nigeria has come in the sport.
“Currently, I’m very impressed by the level of competition. All the other countries brought their best fencers to participate. Even though fencing isn’t very popular here, and many of us haven’t been doing it for long or consistently, we have still managed to go far. It’s a significant achievement since we were up against some of the best in the world.
“What we can do to improve is to participate in more competitions and keep facing these top fencers. We also need to continue training diligently,” he added.

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This landmark event, sanctioned by the International Fencing Federation (FIE), will feature teams from Benin Republic, Egypt, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Togo, Oman, and host Nigeria.

A total of 34 fencers will compete for honours in the individual events, with world ranking points at stake.

This two-day tournament marks the first international event hosted by the iconic Charterhouse Lagos building.

Top officials from the FIE and Commonwealth Fencing Federation will be present to oversee the competition.

Nigeria is also vying to host the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in 2026.

Coach Ibrahim Alogba has expressed confidence in the Nigerian team, led by Wisdom Okanlawon, as they prepare to challenge their international counterparts.

All eyes will be on Egypt’s Eslam Osama, the tournament’s top seed. The Egyptian team boasts three top seeds, including Youssef Shamel and Mahmoud Elsayed, ranked second and third respectively.

Other top contenders include Hong Kong’s Kenton Jia Hsu and Greece’s Artemios Tzovanis.

The excitement surrounding the event underscores its significance to the Nigeria Fencing Federation, led by Adeyinka Samuel.

“Our athletes used to travel abroad for major competitions to earn ranking points. Now, with this event in Nigeria, they can save costs and gain points ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifiers.

“We are thrilled that months of preparation will culminate in this historic tournament on December 14. It signifies our growth in African fencing,” Samuel stated.

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Leading the squad is former African cadet and national junior champion, Wisdom Okanlawon.

The 17-year-old brings valuable experience from the 2022 African
Championships, where he excelled for Nigeria.

Joining him is 15-year-old Kiibaati Opasanya, the national school vice-champion, who will make his international debut at this tournament.

The squad also includes Oluwashemilore Fashola (17), Mustapha Fuad (16), Olumuyiwa Ige (17), Bade Martins (17), and Ramadan Sumon (15).

This talented group of young fencers is poised to represent Nigeria with pride and determination on the international stage under the guidance of coach Ibrahim Alogba, who expressed optimism about the athletes’ potential.

A delighted Fashola, participating in his first international
tournament, said, “I can’t wait to compete against the best in the
world.

“This is an opportunity for us to improve our world ranking and
perform well. I must thank the federation for allowing me to compete in this event, and I am looking forward to the tournament.”

Meanwhile, some participating athletes and teams have started arriving on Thursday, December 12, ahead of the kick-off on Saturday, December 14.

The Commonwealth Fencing Federation (CFF), led by its Technical Committee Chairman, Peter Smith, is in Lagos to monitor the success of the two-day tournament as part of the prerequisites to award the 2026 Commonwealth Championships to Nigeria.

Referees from South Africa and Senegal have also arrived in Lagos in readiness for the first Fencing World Cup in Sub-Saharan Africa.

An official of the International Fencing Federation (FIE), Zied Feriani, who is the President of the FIE Rules Commission, has also touched down in Lagos to supervise the tournament.

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The East African nation, which is rapidly gaining ground in the sport, joins the likes of Benin Republic, Togo, Egypt, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and host Nigeria. The Saudi Arabian team, led by Hassan Abed, will have a
four-man squad.

Additionally, a strong eight-man team from Egypt, the top African fencing nation, is expected to arrive in Lagos this week to affirm their supremacy as the best-ranked team in the competition.

For America-based fencing world champion Mahmoud Elsayed of Egypt, the
tournament is crucial for his world ranking and securing his place in the Egyptian team. “The competition is crucial to both my world ranking and my position with the Egyptian national fencing team,” he said.

All is set for Charterhouse to host its first international sports tournament. The Nigeria Fencing Federation hopes to use the event to ignite a passion for fencing among young people across the country.

Adeyinka Samuel of the Nigeria Fencing Federation stated, “We are poised to host the world this week as months of preparation will be put to the test with the staging of the first World Cup in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“We hope this will ignite more interest in the sport and attract more well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies. We are excited about the quality of athletes coming to Lagos and hope our athletes compete favourably against top fencers, especially from Egypt and Hong Kong.”

Led by the talented Eslam Osama, the team aims to secure world-ranking points at this International Fencing Federation (FIE)-certified tournament.

The two-day event will be held at the Charterhouse in Lagos, featuring teams from Hong Kong, Benin Republic, Greece, Togo, Senegal, Ghana, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and host Nigeria.

This marks the only country in Sub-Saharan Africa with hosting rights for the World Cup.
World cadet silver medallist Osama, ranked No. 11 in the junior category, will spearhead the Egyptian challenge.

He will be joined by Youssef Shamel, ranked No. 13, and Mahmoud Elsayed, ranked No. 14. This experienced eight-man Egyptian contingent is eager to use the World Cup to amass ranking points and improve their standings ahead of the 2025 tournaments.

Hong Kong’s teenage sensation Kenton Jia Hsu ranked No. 18 in the world, will lead the four-man Asian team in their quest for ranking points and titles.

The participating teams are expected to arrive in Lagos this week for the weekend’s tournament.

All eyes will be on local favourite Wisdom Okanlawon, a former African cadet champion. Okanlawon will lead the Nigerian team, which includes Shemilore Fashola, Olumuyiwa Ige, Bade Martins, Kiibaati Opasanya, and the Idongesit siblings, Mahadi and Mahathir.

A determined Okanlawon expressed his readiness to lead Nigeria to a podium finish at home. “It won’t be easy, but we will do our best to make our country proud against our visitors. We hope to mount the podium in all events as a team,” the teenage star said.

Meanwhile, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) has named its Vice President, Donald Anthony of the United States, as the supervisor for the World Cup.

Additionally, Peter Smith, chairman of the Technical Committee of the Commonwealth Fencing Board, will be in Nigeria to assess the country’s readiness to host a Commonwealth Championship in 2025.

    The letter stated, “Following FIE regulations 1.4.3, this letter is from the former federation (Great Britain) accepting the transfer request and agreeing to waive the 3-year non-compete period.”
   It further confirmed, “On behalf of British Fencing, I write to confirm that British Fencing has no objection to the athlete (Folayemi Akinyosoye) changing their FIE nationality and that we waive any non-compete period.”
  The 20-year-old fencer expressed his excitement about the switch, saying, “I would like to represent Nigeria because of my personal connections to Nigeria it’s where my family roots originate, so there is desire to contribute to the development of the sport which is in its early stages stage in  Nigeria.

“I also hope that representing Nigeria might provide a unique platform to promote the Sabre Fencing and inspire other young Nigerians to take an interest in the sport.”
   He added: “I am very excited to represent Nigeria and cannot wait to work with the Nigerian fencing federation to bring my fencing to the next level.” 
Akinyosoye also shared his optimism about Nigeria’s potential to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games.
Adeyinka Samuel, President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, welcomed Akinyosoye’s decision, highlights the positive impact on the sport’s development in Nigeria.
   “We are so excited that the work we have done in the last few years is yielding positive results with the decision by Akinyosoye to fence for Nigeria.

“This again shows that we are doing something right to improve the fortune of the sport, and we hope that we can have a strong team that will compete for places at the 2028 Olympic Games.

“We can’t wait to have him represent Nigeria in an international tournament and mix up with others already in the team,” Samuel said.