U23s European Championships 2023

This page is intended for the athletes and coaches attending the U23  European Championships 2023. It is also intended to provide information to non-travelling parents and coaches.  Please check back to this page regularly for information updates. 

If you cannot find the information you need on this page please use the form. Any queries being directed to individuals may not be acted upon in a timely manner.  Enquiry Form   Click Here

The U23 European Championships will be taking place from the 23rd  – 27th  May 2023,  Budapest, Hungary

Website:  (not yet available)

BF STAFF TEAM

Chef-de-mission – Steve Kemp
Athlete Support – Kirstie Unwin
Athlete Support – Jojo Dawes
Team Manager – Shelley Robinson
GBR Coach Epee  – Ian Lichfield
GBR Coach Foil  – Keith Cook
GBR Sabre Coach – Balázs Kurucz

EFC DELEGATION

Pat Aiyenuro

PERSONAL COACHES

Peter Barwell
John Rees
James Williams
Peter Barrett
Mike Swiffin

HOTEL

Danubius Hotel Arena n Pat Aiyenuro
1148 Budapest, Ifjúság útja 1-3., Hungary

All Hotels rates are per room per night including buffet breakfast and all taxes
Bookings will be blocked booked and paid (non refundable) based on the entry and exit points. This required to secure accommodation.
Travel Guide

TRANSFERS

Self Transfer.

ENTRY AND  EXITS POINTS

There will be a member of staff to meet everyone at the hotel. Entry points for the championships will be set out below.

Women’s  Foil Arrival 21st May Depart 27th May
Men’s Sabre Arrival 21st May Depart 27th May
Women’s Epee Arrival 22nd May Depart 27th May
Men’s Foil Arrival 22nd May Depart 28th May
Women’s Sabre Arrival 23rd May Depart 28th May
Men’s Epee Arrival 23rd May Depart 28th May

Please note it is currently not possible to change entry and exit times due to hotel availability. If you wish to book extra night’s accommodation you will have to make independent bookings.  No refunds are available if you wish to leave before the official exit. Please inform BF of extra nights to travel plans

Expected Costs

Individual Entry Fees:  120 euros (payable in advance)
Team Entry Fees:  140 euros (payable in advance)
Transfer Costs:  Self Transfers – between £5-£20
Hotel Costs: most athletes should expect to pay for 6 nights and should budget around £75  B&B per night, based on a twin room
Staff (Chef de Mission and Team Managers) Contribution: £70/athlete

Athlete Development Programme Subsidy: The Athlete Development Programme will be  using UK  Sport National Team funding to subsidise the cost to athletes of competing at the Europeans including:
a) paying for balance of the Chef de Missions, Team Managers to attend the event
b) covering team entry fees (140 euros per team)
d) covering the cost of ADP Coaches

This subsidy typically amounts to several hundred pounds per athlete.

Selections

Please note that due to the short timescales there will not be much time and if you do not accept the selection and pay you may risk being de-selected.

SELECTED FENCERS TO BE ADDED

Q = qualified, NTR = non travelling reserve, T = Selected for the Team (Entered for the individual)

Accepting Selection

You will receive an email from Sport:80. (If your name is showing as selected and you have not received an email please contact: [email protected]

To accept your selection please follow the link in the email to log into the platform, click on the event and follow the entry process to pay the deposit amount shown by the deadline indicated. By accepting the selection and paying your deposit you are agreeing to  abide by all BF Policies and Procedures including:

You are also accepting that you and your parents (if you are U18) understand the expectations on athletes competing for GBR which are laid out here. Athletes unable to meet these expectations should contact us before accepting selection.

Applicable Selection Policies:

Selection Policy can be found here.

Immediate Actions (April 2023)

PLEASE NOTE:

Photos of athletes need to be uploaded to the EFC website (for cadet fencers competitions) or to FIE website for juniors. That differentiation is due to the fact that cadets’ individual and team events are EFC competitions whilst junior individual and team competitions are FIE Junior World Cup competitions.   

PLEASE SEND  A PASSPORT STYLE PHOTO TO [email protected]

PLEASE ADD U23 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO TO THE SUBJECT HEADER

Official Tracksuits

BF is delighted to announce a new 5-year partnership with Kukri to supply a full range of training and leisurewear, alongside a merchandise range and online shop. 

For athletes to access the Championship section, a password will be provided. This password should not be shared with anyone. The range is exclusive to athletes that have been selected for major championships

A voucher will be provided to athletes attending their first Major Championship to support the purchase of the new team wear.

Patches/Logos

It is your responsibility to ensure your kit has the correct logos/patches and your equipment meets FIE standards.

A summary of the latest rule changes can be found here.

As part of the terms of the Leon Paul sponsorship arrangement, all athletes competing are required to wear a Leon Paul logo. This should appear on the back arm. For foilists and epeeists the logo patch should be sewn onto the back arm ideally above the GBR logo. Sabreurs can have the patch on their breeches or can have their lames printed directly by Leon Paul. This can be done at any event where Leon Paul have a printing service or at the Leon Paul shop. Alternatively, you can contact [email protected] and they will send you patches to sew onto your lame jacket (you will need to specify the type of lame – eg lightweight).

Please note that for foil and epee NO logos of any description, other than the GBR national logo, should be on the breeches. The exception is currently for sabre.

Please also note that the commemorative event patches should not be attached to the fencing jackets (or breeches) that you will be wearing at the event.

Authorised Personal Coaches

ALL coaches must abide by the relevant BF policies including – http://britishfencing.com/uploads/files/gbr_coaches_policy_v1.0[1].pdf and http://britishfencing.com/uploads/files/coaches_code_of_conduct.pdf.

Please Note: As there is a staff allocation that is less than the number of fencers attending we are unable to guarantee accreditation for all personal coaches.

Accreditations will be awarded based on

  1. Coaches are up to date on the coach register
  2. Have a written coaching development plan or Coaching Health Check
  3. Been attending the other competitions with the selected athletes through the season, with recent Major Event experience.
  4. Been actively involved in producing a documented IADP with the athlete/s they are coaching. If they are not doing this they are not a performance coach.
  5. Have an individual documented plan which covers not only competition day but their preparation (attendance at pre-competition briefing, pre-comp camps or training day)
  6. Have a set of personal behaviours aligned with a credible performance coach

To complete an application for accreditation as a Personal Coach please (Form Coming Soon)

Visa and Foreign Office Advice

Click Here

Anti-Doping

There will be testing at the event.

Athletes: 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

Coaches: As announced in September 2019, any coach wishing to accompany a GBR athlete to an FIE event, whether as a personal coach or as a squad coach must have undergone the online anti-doping training course Coach Clean within the last three years.

Parents: Parents are expected to support our efforts to keep our sport clean. We strongly advise that parents involved in supporting athletes at events undergo the Coach Clean course. All other parents are expected to support efforts to keep sport clean and read the WADA Parents Guide.

More information here.

Travel

 For this trip, parents and athletes will be responsible for booking their flights to and from the event, ensuring that sufficient time is given to arriving at the meeting points. This includes taking any potential covid tests before the meeting takes place. BF will not be responsible for booking or changing any athletes flights for these championships. Due to the complexity of travel currently, we will be unable to advise on this area.

Please note any U18’s that needs chaperoning for travel please let us know and we will help to make arrangements where we can.

Just in case
Please pack fencing clothing, masks, gloves, whites, shoes in your hand luggage where possible – even on direct flights luggage can be left behind.

Please as a precaution have a photograph of your fencing bag on your phone, it is much easier to show a photograph to the lost luggage people than to try and describe a fencing bag!We also advise taking a copy of the information page of your passport, again just in case. It also makes cancelling the passport quicker if you do lose it if you have the passport number

Make sure you have Fencing kit – in good working order. Your GB teamwear. Adapters, Chargers, Cables, headphones, anything else you cannot live without but also consider that things do get lost/stolen so think about what you bring.

Other Travel Instructions

23kg will be enough for your fencing bag, providing you pack your fencing kit in your carry on case.

Do’s and Don’ts:

  • Do not take liquids or gels in your hand luggage. (100mls or under in a transparent bottle is OK).
  • Do not take tool kit items in your hand luggage.
  • Do put your mask, jacket, plastron, breeches, glove, socks, and a spare handle (if you have one) in your hand luggage in case any fencing bags get lost.  (This means that all you need to borrow to fence is a sword if the worst happens.)
  • Do travel in comfortable clothing,  wearing trainers to travel in.
  • Do not wear any GBR marked clothing whilst travelling.
  • Do pack any phone batteries in your hand luggage
  • Do ensure that ALL your electronic equipment (phone, etc) is fully charged, and can be shown to be working. If it isn’t, it may be confiscated at security.

Independent Travel

Athletes unable to travel from UK airports (eg athletes travelling from outside the UK) are permitted to choose to travel independently however they must not arrive on a later date or leave on an earlier date than the rest of the squad. Transfers need to be discussed with BF Head Office.

Daily Transfer to the Competition Venues

There will be a daily transfer provided by the competition organisors. All the details will be available at the hotel info point and at the info point of the competition venues.

Discipline and Behaviour

By accepting selection to represent GBR at any European and World Championships you have already agreed to the British Fencing Codes of Conduct. Please act responsibly and sensibly and understand that we are one collective team and respect and support for your fellow team members is expected and reasonable. In addition every member of the squad is being supported by public funding and is expected to behave in a way that recognises the responsibilities that this brings. Funding to compete (whether from public or private sources) is not an entitlement and we owe it to everyone that contributes to our participation to act as professionals and role models for our sport.

As a reminder Youth 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. Parents and Personal Coaches attending events are expected to support athletes and are respectfully requested to refrain from consuming alcohol if they are socialising/eating with athletes.

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

JOIN TODAY

Free Intro Membership

Activate your free, 90 day membership to British Fencing today. Membership insures you to fence at any British Fencing club.

CORE COACH

Core Coach Offer

Does your organisation want to bring fencing to your community? Explore our core coach course, no experience required.

LEARN MORE

Calling All Teachers

Start your journey to becoming a community fencing coach. Introduce fencing to pupils for as little as £25. Find out more today.

Join the conversation. Share your stories using #BritishFencing on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Our Partners

  • Our Partners