UK SPORT CONFIRMS 1 YEAR INVESTMENT OF £418K INTO FENCING

As part of an indicative four year award of £1.6m, UK Sport confirms a one year £418k award to support long term Olympic success in fencing.

British Fencing welcomes the news today that UK Sport has awarded a one year investment of £418k to support the long term success of elite fencing in the UK. The funding is part of an indicative four year award totalling £1,672,485 to create a pathway to Olympic success in 2032.

From UK Sport, “UK Sport has today signalled its intent for the UK to become successful in a wider range of sports and build a high-performance sports community which reflects the diversity of British society.

The shift is supported by a plan for investment of £352m into an increased number of sports (43) in the build up to the postponed Tokyo Games, through to the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond.”

BF is one of seven Olympic and Paralympic sports to be awarded a ‘Progression Funding’ investment. Progression Funding is a new initiative from UK Sport designed to support the long-term medal potential of sports like fencing.

Georgina Usher, BF’s CEO said, “At the heart of UK Sport’s new strategy is the ambition to pivot the UK’s high-performance system so that, over time, the UK becomes successful in a wider range of sports, that can have an even greater inspirational impact on society.  We are delighted that Fencing will have the opportunity to contribute to this strategy.

The Progression investment will enable us to focus on improving the system and structure to develop athletes and coaches for long term Olympic success. A significant area of this work will be supporting the development of a cohort of fencing coaches who, by 2028, will be able to train and support an expanding squad of Olympic level fencers in the UK.  We have also been successful in securing one funded Podium athlete place, which is key to supporting our short term ambitions to Tokyo and beyond.”

Steve Kemp, Head of Pathways at BF said, “The process of submitting the bid involved a substantial piece of data analytics and research, much of which is reflected in the publication of the first Fencing Pathway. This investment will enable us to bring the model to life, through our coaches and athlete development activities, providing the platform for future World Class Programme funding and 2032 Olympic medal success. We will be meeting with UK Sport in mid-January to discuss the details of the award and more information will be shared following that meeting”.

BF’s Chair, Mark Lyttle said, “This is extremely exciting news for sport and particularly for the future of fencing.  Our mission is to deliver a sustainable and inclusive athlete development system that enables our best athletes to access a high-quality pathway that fulfils their potential – as people and performers. Thanks to the National Lottery and the Government, this investment will allow us to accelerate our work on vital improvements to this system to support future Olympic success. At this time of economic uncertainty we appreciate the faith shown in us and we remain committed to contributing to UK Sport’s vision of a successful and diverse sports community.”

The full UK Sport press release can be found here.