TheCable

The Nigeria Fencing Federation has been awarded the rights to host the 2018 junior/cadet African Fencing Championships.

The tournament will be held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos between February 26 and March 5. Not less than 150 fencers from various African countries are expected to participate.

In a statement made available to TheCable by Robert Taylor Media, the championship will also accommodate entrepreneurs, social influencers, sports journalists and companies.

“Sports journalists are excited by a fresh breath of classic sports,” the statement read.

“They gear up to get on board the championship. Entrepreneurs would find something new to invest in. New avenues to explore.

“Social influencers would tap into the classic and aesthetic appeal of the game of fencing to create social activities and opportunities to boost their brands and businesses.

“This is the first international fencing tournament in Nigeria. As Nigeria opens its doors to over 150 countries to attend this epic event; it invariably opens vistas of opportunities to the tourism industry.

“The ever-ready-to-do-business crowd in Lagos, Nigeria would definitely carve out a niche to make good of this opportunity.

“In the end, it would not only be the fencing contestants that wins, but the citizens of Nigeria who benefits from the corporate, social and economic outcome of the elite sports tournament.

“The J/C AFC is an internationally recognised and FIE (Switzerland) approved tournament, that provides a platform for fencers across Africa’s 31 registered nations to compete for World Points; leading them to the Olympics.”

Fencing is one of the five sports in modern pentathlon at the Olympics.