GB Women’s and Men’s Sabre preliminary squad has been selected for the European Fencing Confederation (EFC) U23 event in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Published 17th December 2025
The following athletes are now invited to the EFC U23 event in Sofia, Bulgaria.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ THIS POST AND COMPLETE EVERYTHING THAT IS REQUIRED
Competition date: 14th – 15th February 2025
The deadline to accept the invitation and make full payment on Sport:80 is four days from the date of the invitation.
Competition details (known as Reglements) can be found on the invitation once it is available, please check the EFC website for updates. This post will be updated once the invitation has been published.
| SELECTION | |
| Women U23s Hui Xin SEZILLLE Maya SUTTON Ava DAVIES Bethany BRIERLEY Tosin ONONAIYE Keira DONNELLY-SALLOWS Alicia MCDOUGALL Bea ABRAM-MOORE Nicole SAUNDERS Lauren ANDERSON Nina LEWIS Emily FEREDAYJuniors Eva AZIZ-PICARDET Kathryn LIU Clara SHIMMIN Jessica FEREDAY Emily BERRY Maiya CHOI Thea JOSEPH Sophie HOWES Grace CLARKE Nicole BROWN Hannah HUGHES Phoebe DAY |
Men U23s Samuel ALLEN Max CROMIE Ian HO Henry MARTIN Eiger SWINSCOW Dylan GALAZKA Mattia PLASTOW Aidan GARCIA-GHURAN Jacob BARR Joe EVANS Charles ROWELLE Samuel WALMSLEYJuniors Guy LUMSDEN John WHITE Adiy SIDDIQ Adam SMART Maximillian SAUNDERS Joshua BRYDEN Benjamin KIRBY Raphael BEDFORD Oakley FRANCART Aum KHURANA Alexander GREENE Finlay RHODES |
Reserves
| NON-TRAVELLING RESERVES | |
| Women Coco GUVEN Keira HABENICHT Klaudia LEWANDOWSKA Lucia LEES |
Men Jiuzhou YANG William BUXTON Henry LEARNER Griffin MANNING |
Teams
There is no team event at this competition.
Coaches and Officials
| GBR Pathway coaches Can Aydin Second coach TBC |
Team Manager Phil Shepherd-Foster |
Referees Sam MCLELLAN Samuel OGDEN Third referee TBC |
Authorised personal coaches TBC |
Trip Costs/Athlete Contributions
As travel and accommodation costs have increased in the current climate, we have had to increase the travel and administration costs to reflect this. The costs now are:
Please note that unless notified otherwise, your place must be accepted and paid for within four working days of notification from the BF membership platform (Sport:80).
Selection Queries
Carefully read the selection policy, which can be found here, if you believe there is an error in ranking calculations or policy application.
Queries regarding discretionary applications should contact GBR Support using the Pathway/ADP Query Form. Ensure you have your Individual Athlete Development Plan (IADP) available and that it has been uploaded via this link before contacting BF.
Individual Entry Requests
If you meet the entry requirements and would like to be considered for these events, please complete this form.
Entry closing date for this event is: Tues-16-Dec-2025
Rankings
Click here for rankings and selection information for this selection. The ranking file (csv) downloaded from the ranking system is attached to the selection information. If you believe there is an error in the production of these rankings, please register your query here within two working days of the selection announcement.
Appeals
The BF Appeal Policy and Procedure published here sets out the framework process that will be followed. Athletes have two (2) working days to submit their notices of appeal.
Withdrawals
After accepting a place, and you wish to withdraw you must do so by completing the online withdrawal form rather than emailing. For non-medical withdrawals: explain the reason in the form; you may still incur fines or charges. For medical withdrawals: use the same form, give the reason and attach required medical evidence.
Accredited Personal Coaches
To attend in the capacity of a personal coach, you must register in advance with BF. Personal coaches must apply for accreditation to each event using this form. All coaches, including personal coaches, must be on the BF Coaching Register here and not coach against fellow GBR fencers during international competitions.
Travel
The parent or athlete is responsible for ensuring that the athlete can enter the competition host country, has a valid passport and meets the host country’s entry requirements. Parents are responsible for travel arrangements and the welfare of athletes on senior trips. Read the ‘Foreign travel advice’ section of the gov.uk website for further details.
Eligibility
As per the selection policy.
FIE Licence – you need a licence to compete
To compete in this competition, you need a valid FIE licence for the 2025-26 season. You must apply for this via Sport:80 before accepting your place at this event.
Instructions on how to apply for the licence
1. Go to your British Fencing Membership on Sport:80 bf.sport80.com
2. Login using your membership details
3. Click on your profile
4. Then click on the International Licences tab
5. And follow the directions to apply for an FIE licence
For complete instructions, click here.
Contact
Please only contact the organisers regarding booking accommodation if the organisers are offering this service. Please do not contact the organisers for any other queries. For all other queries, please contact BF using the Pathway/ADP Query Form.
Other Important Information
All selections require a British passport or certificate of British Citizenship. This must be uploaded to Sport:80 and approved by BF before you can accept your place on this trip.
All BF Codes of Conduct apply to athletes, parents, coaches and officials; attention is drawn to the Code of Conduct for Youth Events.
BF will process the entries through the FIE once they are finalised. Entries are done 14 days before the deadline on a Thursday.
Equipment Requirements
Ensure your kit is in complete working order, with all weapons and bodywires tested for continuity, resistance, and weight. It would be best to do this before leaving the UK, as there may not be an armoury service or an equipment stall at the event. Maintaining your equipment can mean the difference between hits registering or not. There will be weapon control. Different competitions check different items – so be prepared for everything to pass weapon control.
Please check to make sure you meet the FIE requirements. Further information can be found here.
Accepting Your Place
An invitation email from Sport:80 will follow this post within 24 hours. Unless notified otherwise, all places must be accepted within four working days of notification from the BF membership platform (Sport:80).
Fencers must confirm their selection by following the instructions in the invitation email and making any payments due. Athletes who have not made payment in full and completed the registration form within the deadlines will forfeit their place to any remaining reserves.
Any athlete who accepts and pays for their place but fails to appear at the event may be liable for any FIE fines.
Please visit the GBR Cadet Zone for further information about anti-doping, kit requirements, and guides to weapons checks.
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