En garde! – Fencing comes to Cyprus

CYPRUS’ first Fencing Academy will open in the new year with lessons starting on January 9 at the American Academy in Nicosia.

The Cyprus Fencing Academy in cooperation with the Cyprus Fencing Federation aims to develop and promote fencing, which was one of the first Olympic games in 1896.
Assistant coach Iraklis Emmanouilidis has been fencing for seven years and has won tournament distinctions in Greece. He hopes to share some of his experience with students in Cyprus.

“Our club will organise a tournament every month where a fencer can take part and win points. At the end of the year, a trophy or medal will go to the fencers with the highest points,’ he said. “What we want to achieve is to give the best fencer of the year the opportunity to compete in Greece to represent Cyprus.”

Currently there are no Cypriots competing in the Athens Olympic Games 2004 for fencing. Emmanouilidis said the sport had not been promoted on the island and there was not much interest for it. “There must be a Cypriot fencer who has been in world tournaments in many different countries before he can go to the Olympics, the Academy hopes to change this and give Cypriots the opportunity to compete all over.”

The Academy provides all the equipment such as masks, jackets, swords and gloves. Students are only requested to wear a t-shirt and trainers.

The swords are electronically monitored to determine which fencer is hit first. A wire runs along the edge of the sword and on the tip, which sends a signal back to a control panel where a green or red light will flash. A flashing light means that the sword has hit the target.

The Cyprus Fencing Academy has twenty-five existing members aged between 13 and 40. Fencing students as young as twelve are allowed to join. For more information call 22-681781 or visit www.eteamz.com/CyprusFencingacademy.

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