Birmingham International Fencing Tournament
The Birmingham International Fencing Tournament takes place annually at the The University Of Birmingham's Munrow Sports Centre during Easter. It involves three separate competitions, in both a mens and womens only feature. These are the Men's Epee, Men's Foil and Men's Sabre with a Women's Epee, Women's Foil and Women's Sabre featuring also.
The event runs over two days, the Saturday and the Sunday with registration required by the previous weekend. It is free to enter for overseas participants but £24 is charged for each weapon you wish to use. There is also an age restriction of 13 years of age. The tournament first began in Leamington Spa back in 1934, the first major fencing competition to be staged outside of London. Over the seventy years it has been operating, barring the second world war, some of the world's best fencers have made the journey to take part.
Sporting Equipment
Every sport has their own sports equipment which is very important to playing the game. Whether that is with fencing, or even football, you should expect to have to spend a bit of money to play.
Competitors from Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, Portugal, USA, China, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Australia and Canada have all plied their sporting trade at this Grade B event. The winners in 2013 were James Harris GBR for TEAM MELIA in the men's Epee, Rhys Melia GBR for TEAM MELIA in the men's foil and Curtis Miller GBR for CAMDEN FC in the men's Sabre.
The ladies who won in 2013 were Caitlin Chang GBR for HARROGATE FC in the women's Epee, SIBERT, Catriona Sibert GBR For EDINBURGH FC in the women's foil and Alice Watson GBR for CAMDEN in the women's sabre competition. There are prizes allocated for the last eight finalists of each individual competition and there are Veteran prize awards up for grabs also. The British Fencing Association has been supporting the competition from the West Midlands branch since 1975, with a variety of local clubs also having input.
Fencing has long been a sport of the British population, mainly in the higher echelons of society but in the last fifty to sixty years has started to receive interest from a wide spread of natural and professionally talented fencers of all ages. The Birmingham International Fencing Tournament is a competition which offers even the novice to have a really good day out by competing against some of the best fencing abilities in the UK, as well as a healthy supply of competitive talent which travel from abroad.
The competition wouldn't be the success it is today without the continued support of the BFA, Leon Paul Equipment Company, the University of Birmingham staff and Peter Smith and England Fencing.