2026 U23 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS CAGLIARI

Key Dates for Selection

• Tuesday 3rd March: Selection point (rankings and qualification standards frozen)
• Tuesday 31st March:  selection announcement (automatic qualifiers) subject to any appeals
• Tuesday 31st March to midnight Thursday 2nd April: Appeals window for any discrepancies in data.
• Thursday 2nd April: Invites sent to those selected

*Please note: All dates listed in the selection timeline are indicative and subject to change. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, adjustments may occur without prior notice. Please refer to this page regularly for the most current information.

BF Staff Team

Chef de Mission(s): TBC

GBR Coaches

None

Authorised Personal Coaches

TBC
(Coaches: please refer to the information section below for guidance on accreditation and requirements.)

Travel

Please read the generic instructions here.

Emergency Travel Form:

All athletes must complete the Travel and Emergency Information Form no later than 16th April 2026.

EFC U23 European Championship 2026 (Cagliari)

To support optimal performance at all Major Championships, all fencers must meet with the Team Manager at the confirmed squad hotel. Full details will be shared here once the hotel is confirmed and the official invitation is published.

A WhatsApp group will be created, and athletes will receive the invite link prior to the event.

Hotel 

Athletes are responsible for booking their own transport and accommodation for this competition.

Anticipated Costs (subject to confirmation)

• Entry Fees: £140 (individual event only)
• In-Event Support Staff Contribution: £45
• Back Office Administration:  £31

BR Pathway Subsidy

The GBR Pathway Programme will subsidise athlete costs for the European Championships, contributing toward:

• Chef de Mission support

Means-Tested Support

Means-tested grants are available for athletes who would not be able to attend without financial assistance.
For more information, please contact: [email protected]

Please note:
Athletes whose families plan to travel to the event or who are paying for personal coaches are not eligible for grants.

• Selection Announcement: Click Here

*The table lists athletes who have confirmed their places as of 22/04/26. Several invitations are still pending, and the table will be updated with the final squad details once all responses have been received.

FINAL U23 SQUAD:

Tracksuits

We will contact athletes who do not already have the official tracksuit required for the 2026 U23 European Championships to arrange their kit order.

More information about which tracksuit you need and how to order additional kit here. 

Full GBR kit is required so please ensure you have the BF T-shirt, BF track bottoms or track pants and a Championship track top.

Under FIE regulations, the Official National Tracksuit must be worn in full—both jacket and trousers—on all podiums.Club tracksuits, cycling shorts, leggings, or other non-official items are not permitted.

GBR Patches

Athletes are responsible for ensuring that:

• Their fencing kit features the correct GBR patches, and
• All equipment complies with FIE standards.

Sponsor Logos

Under the terms of the Leon Paul sponsorship agreement, all competing athletes are required to wear a Leon Paul logo on their kit.

Athletes must also ensure that any additional sponsor logos comply with the FIE Publicity Code., including correct placement and sizing.

For full guidance, please see the GBR logos and patches instructions here.

For more information read the GBR logos and patches instructions here.

Personal Coaches Accreditation: deadline for applications Wednesday 8th April 2026

Form to Request Accreditation

Requirements for Personal Coaches wishing to be accredited at Major Events

All coaches must abide by the relevant BF policies, including the GBR Coaches Policy these include (this is not an exhaustive list please click on the links for more information):

• being on the Coach Register (UK) or the Coach Register (Overseas) 
• having completed the UKAD Anti-Doping course and uploaded the certificate to Sport 80
• holding a valid EFC Licence
• consistently demonstrating suitable coaching behaviours and are not currently being investigated
• having an up-to-date Coach Health Check – Personal Development Plan
• being the coach of a fencer in selection places 1-4
• being the coach of an athlete that has met the qualification standard for selection

Where there is a limit to the number of personal coaches that will be accredited priority will be given to personal coaches that have a evidential track record of positive engagement and collaboration with BF support staff /other GBR coaches and whose athletes are on a trajectory to medal success.

All coaches must abide by the relevant BF policies (including the GBR Coaches Policy) and codes of conduct, including the GBR Coaches Code of Conduct.

Code of conduct:

By accepting selection to represent GBR at any European and World Championships, you have already agreed to the BF Codes of Conduct – which includes the generic BF Code of Conduct, the Code of Conduct for Youth Events and the GBR Athlete Code of Conduct.

Please act responsibly and sensibly, and understand that we are one collective team. Respect and support for your fellow team members is expected and reasonable.

Every squad member is supported by public funding and is expected to behave in a way that recognises the responsibility that this brings. Funding to compete (whether from public or private sources) is not an entitlement, and we owe it to everyone who contributes to our participation to act as professionals and role models for our sport.

As a reminder, the U23 Championships events are alcohol-free for the entire duration of the stay, and any athlete consuming alcohol should expect to serve a ban in accordance with the published sanctions. They may also be sent home from the event, be withdrawn from any remaining events and be liable for all arising costs. Parents and Personal Coaches attending events are expected to support athletes and are respectfully requested to refrain from consuming alcohol if they are in the company of athletes.

Any breach of the BF Code of Conduct may also result in fines equivalent to any athlete subsidy paid by BF.

Anti-Doping:

Please note: There will be testing at the event.

Athletes must have a valid anti-doping certificate on their membership record on Sport:80, without this they will not be able to accept the invite to the competition.

If you have not already got a valid certificate on Sport:80, you should do this now, see the instructions below:-

• Complete the UKAD online course Compete Clean+ and upload the “Course Complete” certificate to your British Fencing membership record on Sport:80. The course is on the UKAD Clean Sport Hub at https://www.ukad.org.uk/cleansporthub
• See a video explaining how to upload a certificate to your British Fencing membership record here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz95SfDIVrk

Please see the British Fencing anti-doping page at https://www.britishfencing.com/policy-zone/anti-doping/

Be aware of Strict Liability – an athlete is solely responsible for any banned substance they use, attempt to use, or that is found in their system, regardless of how it got there and whether or not they had an intention to cheat

Athletes are solely responsible for any banned substance they use, attempt to use, or that is found in their system, regardless of how it got there and whether or not they had an intention to cheat.

Athletes must:-

• Ensure they have TUEs in place if necessary. Fencers selected for this championships are in the UKAD TUE pool for 12 months from the date of selection.  This means they MUST have a TUE in advance if necessary, see the requirements at https://www.ukad.org.uk/national-tue-pool
• Use the Global DRO portal to check medication, note this is not available for  Italy
• Download the 100% me Clean Sport App (Apple, Android)

For any questions about the anti-doping and education requirements, please ask Neil Brown [email protected]

Please ensure you have met the relevant Athlete, Coach, Parent/Supporter Training mandatory requirements. 

There will be EFC Safeguarding Officers at the event and the EFC Safeguarding policy and the EFC Safeguarding Code of Conduct will be in place for all participants.

BF welfare policies and codes of conduct apply to athletes, coaches, parents and supporters associated with the GBR team.

There will also be mandatory training (which includes specific training on the FIE safeguarding policy) for all those selected and those that intend to accompany them.

More details here.

Communications & Social Media:

During the event:

• Athletes selected for major championships are encouraged to use official British Fencing hashtags such as #GBRFencing on all social posts.
• Athletes, parents, and coaches should share their journey and experiences of major competitions to promote engagement and community spirit.
• All social media content relating to this competition must comply with the British Fencing Code of Conduct. Ensure that all images—including fencing, warm-ups, and coaching—reflect best practice in terms of conduct and safety.
• When taking podium or group photos, please ensure everyone in the photo is looking at the camera for clarity and professionalism.
• Athletes who make the podium will be expected to provide a short quote prior to the medal presentation to help the BF media team celebrate the result promptly.
• Media contact during the event should go through your team staff or the designated BF media team to avoid distractions.
• In case of any issues, crisis management will be handled by team staff as the main point of contact.

After the Event

• Upload approved images to British Fencings Digital Portal following British Fencing’s imagery guidelines.
• Submit your event report according to the official reporting policy.
• If relevant, provide content for the Sword edition, including reports and imagery.

Cyber Security:

Please visit the British Fencing Cyber Security page for advice on keeping your personal information safe while travelling abroad for fencing. Key tips include using strong passwords, limiting sensitive data on devices, and following BF’s digital security guidance.

If you cannot find the information you need on this page, please submit any questions to us at [email protected], and a member of the GBR Support team will respond to you. Please note that we cannot reply to all emails personally, but we will update this page to answer the most common queries we receive.

Please read the Supporters and Parents Section of the Major Events Guide