RP wins bid to host Asian junior fencing

The Philippines recently gained the rights to host the 2010 Asian Juniors and Cadet Fencing Championships, which serves as qualifier for the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore.

“We expect Asia to be stronger in matching with the fencers in Europe,” former Philippine Olympic Committee president and RP fencing chief Celso Dayrit told The STAR in an email message from Yanggu City, Korea after he was re-elected president of the Fencing Confederation of Asia, the region’s governing body in the sport.

“We also won the bid to host the 2010 Asian Juniors and Cadet Fencing Championships in Manila, which will be the qualifying competition for the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore,” he said.

Dayrit said the country’s hosting of the top-level tournament is part of the fencing association’s thrust to strengthen its grassroots development program aimed at producing world-class fencers for the 2012 London Olympics.

“This is an opportunity for our young fencers to aspire with our ‘home-court advantage,’” said Dayrit.

Fencing, however, will not be included in the 2009 Laos Southeast Asian Games calendar due to logistical problems.

But Dayrit said there is nothing to worry about since the FCA will conduct a parallel tournament as strong as the biennial meet.

“Laos SEA Games will not have fencing but Vietnam will have the SEA Fencing Federation Championships in Hanoi (2009) instead,” said Dayrit.