The Italian success stories continues also on the third final day: Andrea Cassara (ITA) took the title, defeating his compatriot Valerio Aspromonte in an up and down fight in the final 15:14. Aspromonte was the only fencer today who could challenge Cassara at all. He made his way into the final by defeating his team mate  Giorgio Avola (ITA) in a very close fight in the semi finals. Victor Sintes (FRA) ranked also third and won the first medal for France.
Four times World Champion Peter Joppich (GER) did not make it into the top eight.

The women’s epee competition saw many early upsets of top ranked fencers: 2010 World Champion Maureen Nisima (FRA), top ranked Emese Szasz (HUN), and world number four Laura Flessel-Colovic (FRA) lost their first matches. LI Na defeated in her first match world number six Tatiana Logounova (RUS) and then walked quite unchallenged to the podium. In the semi-finals, she was almost upset by Anca Maroiu (ROU) but won the match by priority. In the final, she controlled the match against her younger compatriot SUN Yujie (CHN) who had defeated Olympic silver medalist Ana Branza (ROU) before.

After the individual competitions, the medal table is as follows: Italy leads with four gold, two silver and two bronze medals. China is on the second place (one gold medal, one silver medal), followed by Russia (one gold medal, one bronze medal).

Tomorrow start the team events with the finals in men’s sabre and women’s foil.

Top 8 results men’s foil:

1. Andrea Cassara (ITA)
2. Valerio Aspromonte (ITA)
3. Victor Sintes (FRA)
3. Giorgio Avola (ITA)
5. Alaa El Saxed Abouelkassem (EGY)
6. Alexey Cheremisinov (RUS)
7. CHOI Byung Chul (KOR)
8. Race Imboden (USA)


Top 8 results women’s epee:

1. LI Na (CHN)
2. SUN Yujie (CHN)
3. Ana Branza (ROU)
3. Anca Maroiu (ROU)
5. Magdalena Piekarska (POL)
6. Simona Alexandru (ROU)
7. Monika Sozanska (GER)
8. SHIN A Lam (KOR)

The Italian success was completed by Elisa Di Francisca finishing second in women’s foil and Luigi Tarantino as third in men’s sabre.

In women’s foil, Vezzali defeated her younger compatriot and last years’ World Champion Elisa Di Francisco in an impressive manner 14:7. Only Corinne Maitrejean (FRA) could challenge Vezzali in the quarterfinals on the way to her 6th title. Maitrejean had earned 6 touches to bring her to a 11:5 lead but Vezzali outtouched her in the last minute 12:11.

A surprise was 17year old Lee Kiefer on the bronze rank who took advantage of the early loss of world number 4 Arianna Errigo (ITA) and made her way to the podium. World number 3 NAM Hyun Hee (KOR) finished also third.

In men’s sabre, Aldo Montano (ITA) advanced easily through the direct elimination matches. Only Nicolas Limbach (GER) could challenge his dominance in the final. After taking an early lead 4:1, Limbach fell off 9:14. He made ground up to 13:14, but - using all his experience as an Olympic Champion - Montano made the last point and took his first World Championship title.
Luigi Tarantino, also from Italy, and GU Bon Gil (KOR) finished third.

Tomorrow will follow the finals in men’s epee and women’s sabre.

106 fencers fought for a place in the direct elimination table on 12 October. The clear favourites for the gold medal are two times Olympic Champion Mariel Zagunis (USA) and Olga Kharlan (UKR) who is ranked number 2 in the world after Zagunis and dominated the European Championships in Sheffield, England, in July.

The qualification in women’s epee brought the first surprise of this World Championships with the early drop out of World and Olympic Champion Britta Heidemann (GER) in the pool stage. The remaining favourites are last year’s World Champion Maureen Nisima (FRA) and the currently top ranked Emese Szasz (HUN).

155 fencers participated in the qualification of men’s foil. The 64 direct elimination will be on 13 October. World number two Lei Sheng might have to compete already in the round of 32 against the Olympic Champion of 2008, Benjamin Kleibrink (GER).

The qualification day started with the pools and preliminary elimination in men’s sabre. All four fencers of Italy, Russia, Germany and Romania - the four countries leading the team world rankings - made it to the 64 direct elimination table on 11 October.
Also three athletes from the African Confederation fought their way into the 64 best fencers of the world: Hichem SMANDI (TUN) who will fence world number 2 WON Woo Young in the 64 table, as well as Mamoudou KEITA (SEN) and Yemi Geoffr APITHY (BEN).

In women’s foil, there were 13 pools from which 63 fencers qualified for the preliminary qualification. All strong nations have qualified with all their fencers for the 64 direct elimination table on 11 October. It will be exciting to see who can beat the strong Italian team which has placed all four fencers among the best five foilists in the world on their home soil.

In men’s epee, 214 fencers competed for 48 places in the direct elimination table of 64. Traditionally being the weapon with the most participants, this year the rivalry is even stronger in the men’s individual as the focus of all competitors is on the qualification for the Olympic Games 2012. Men’s epee is, besides women’s sabre, the discipline with only an individual event in London.

Tomorrow,  the qualifications in women’s epee, women’s sabre and men’s foil will follow.

5000 spectators, athletes and officials saw the fascinating show “Dalla terra fuoco” (From the Land of Fire) in the beautiful surroundings of the Piazza Universita, in the heart of Catania.

In his opening speech during the ceremony, Alisher Usmanov, President of the FIE thanked the Italian hosts: “Italy is a true fencing empire and has influenced in many ways the progress in world fencing. My special thanks go to the authorities of the Region of Catania, the Italian Government and the organizers for their hard work, real commitment and dedication. Athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in Catania.  This is a true record and wonderful result of our joint efforts to develop fencing all over the world.   

In the end, Renato Schifani, the president of the Italian Senat, declared the Fencing World Championships 2011 open.

Earlier this day, the venue of the Championships, the Palaghiaccio, had been officially inaugurated. In the following press conference Alisher Usmanov said: “This event is the highlight of the FIE calendar in 2011 and it is the most important milestone on the way to the Olympic Games in London 2012. For many fencers, the results they achieve here in Catania will determine if they will fulfill their dream of participating in London 2012 or not. We are looking forward to another outstanding fencing event in the coming days.”

During the press conference, the 937 athletes were represented by three times Olympic Champion Valentina Vezzali (ITA) and four times World Champion Peter Joppich (GER). Valentina Vezzali said: “It is a great honour and pleasure to have the World Championships on home soil. I will strive for the gold medal.” Peter Joppich added: “I won four titles so far. To win a fifth title is my dream and would be an historic achievement.”  

From tomorrow on, the athletes from 114 nations will compete for the coveted medals in the six disciplines, both individual and team.
The qualifications start tomorrow with men’s sabre, women’s foil, men’s epee. On Monday, the qualifications in women’s sabre, women’s epee, men’s foil will follow.
The first final day will be on Tuesday with the finals in men’s sabre, women’s foil.

The event is broadcasted by Eurosport and RAI Sport Due. From 11-16 October the event will be live streamed on www.fie.org where also live results are available.

Part of this strategy is the launch of a promotional website at the beginning of October, the live streaming of the World Championships in Catania (8-16 October) on the YouTube as well as the launch of a digital version of the FIE magazine Escrime XXI in November.

As the paper magazine, the digital magazine will be issued quarterly and inform people about fencing news from all over the world. The digital Escrime XXI offers also new opportunities for national federations, as there will be one screen displaying a world map that shows national federations and their news.

Sign up here for the digital magazine.

937 fencers from 113 nations have registered for the most important fencing event 2011.This is 2 countries more than 2010 in Paris.

The championships kick off on 8 October with a colourful Opening Ceremony in the heart of Catania and on 9 October competitions start with the qualifications in men’s sabre, women’s foil and men’s foil.

From 11 October to 16 October spectators will be able to watch both fencing and wheelchair fencing finals every day.

The 2011 Fencing World Championships are of utmost importance as they are a milestone on the road to the Olympic Games. As in every World Championships, points obtained for results in individual events are multiplied by 2.5 and in team events they are doubled.

With this at stake, as well as the generous prize money with the total amount of 570,000 US$ offered by FIE President Alisher Usmanov, competition will be fierce in the Palaghiaccio, the ice hockey arena of Catania.
Italian athletes who took 6 out of 12 possible gold medals at the competitive European Championships in Sheffield in July will be among the favourites in all events. The most dangerous opponents are likely to come from Russia, France and Germany as well as from Korea, China and the USA.

As every year, the FIE has organized an international   training camp in the run up to the World Championships (1-8 October 2011) in order to offer fencers from all over the world training and preparation for the World Championships under best conditions. 70 fencers representing 70 national federations took part in this year’s edition in the Sicilian town of Enna.  

Alisher Usmanov, President of the International Fencing Federation Fencing, today said, “It’s tantalisingly close to the event now and almost everything is in place. The Region of Sicily, the city of Catania and the Italian Fencing Federation have been a tremendous support to the event organisers and I would like to express our deepest appreciation. I am struck by the enthusiasm and dedication of everyone to make the World Championships and outstanding success. We are proud to have 937 athletes from 113 nations competing. For example, we will have 41 teams in the men’s epee team competition. This shows that fencing is truly a sport practiced worldwide. I wish all athletes good luck in their last preparations for this important event.”  


Prize money:

Individual events
Gold medal: 20,000 US$ per athlete
Silver medal: 10,000 US$ per athlete
Bronze medal: 5,000 US$ per athlete

Team events
Gold medal 30,000 US$ per team
Silver medal: 15,000 US$ per team
Bronze medal: 10,000 US$ per team
Total amount: 570,000 US$

Broadcast:

In Europe, the event is broadcasted by Eurosport and RAI 2. As of today, several other broadcasters have also expressed their interest.

Live streaming:

All fencing fans around the world can watch this event live on the FIE channel on YouTube www.youtube.com/fievideo.
 

The first refereeing course aimed specifically at women is planned to be held in November 2011 in Athens, Greece.

“Females leave fencing as officials, instructors and referees partly due to inadequate opportunities to participate at a higher level and develop their skills. We believe that support systems must be implemented to sustain women in these roles,“ said Maxim Paramonov, Secretary General of the FIE.

The FIE also announced a revision of the corporate communication strategy with the objective to focus more on online communication. Part of this strategy is the launch of a promotional website at the beginning of October, the live streaming of the World Championships in Catania (8-16 October) on the YouTube as well as the launch of a digital version of the corporate magazine in November.

In addition, the FIE reports that during the FIE Congress in December in Philadelphia, USA, there will be a gala match between the winners of the FIE world cup series and the US fencing team. The winner of this relay match will be awarded with an attractive prize money donated by the FIE.

the President of the Region of Sicily, Raffaele Lombardo, the Councillor for Tourism, Sport and Entertainment for the Sicilian Region Daniel Tranchida, the Mayor of Catania Raffaele Stancanelli, Italian Fencing Federation President Giorgio Scarso, Regional President of CONI  Massimo Costa and the President of the Organizing Committee of Catania 2011 Sebastiano Manzoni.

With only 32 days to go to the 73rd edition of the World Fencing Championships to be held at the Palaghiaccio di Catania from 8th to 16th October 2011, preparations are in full swing.

The team "SiciliaScherma 2009-2011” which is an inititiative of the Region of Sicily and the Italian Fencing Federation (FIS) and is part of the EU Operational Program ERDF OP 2007-2013 Sicily was awarded the World Championships in Catania 2011 and in Syracuse in 2010 at the FIE (Federation International d'Escrime) World Congress in Palermo in 2009. The committee which is chaired by Sebastiano Manzoni joined recently forces with GEM (Globe Event Management). SEC & Associates was appointed winner of the bid set forth by the Sicilian Government for the organisation and communication of the event.

The 2011 World Championships in Catania are expected to host around 1,000 athletes competing in the individual disciplines and over 600 in the team disciplines, representing over 100 countries. Catania 2011 will welcome the best fencers worldwide that will compete for the coveted medals and valuable points for the world rankings that will bring them one step closer to acquiring the right to participate in the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
The male and female champions will be on the pistes in all three fencing disciplines foil, épee and sabre, both individual and in team competitions.  

Catania was awarded the 2011 World Championships guaranteeing the participation of diversely abled. Over 200 athletes will compete in individual and team competitions, representing approximately 30 countries.
From the 25th September on, non-European teams such as China, Japan, and the USA, will begin to arrive in Catania for a period of acclimatization and training. During this period, the teams will have the opportunity to train in the sports centers of Acireale, Enna and the Pala Cannizzaro.

The European representative in particular France, Hungary, and Germany will arrive between 4th and 5th of October in Catania.
The Italian national team, who will reside near the Palaghiaccio, will arrive in Catania on the 1st of October.
More than 20 hotels between Catania and Acireale will accommodate World Championship participants.

The World Fencing Championships, according to a forecast by Federalberghi will bring over 25,000 tourists to the province of Catania and be televised throughout the nation: RAI Sport will follow the event with long daily live feeds and in-depth coverage, images of the competition and Catania will be broadcast by all of the major broadcasters.
Over 120 journalists and photographers are expected to report from the World Championships.

All in all, the 2011 World Championships in Catania will involve more than 4,000 participating professionals (athletes, referees, managers, companions, teachers, volunteers, organizers and set up crews)

THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:

On Saturday, October 8th, the 2011 World Fencing Championships will officially be opened in a colorful Opening Ceremony on the beautiful Piazza dell’Università di Catania. The spectacle will be in in collaboration with the University of Catania and the City of Catania.
The “Casa Scherma” (“Fencing House”) in the Piazza Dell’Università with live music, entertainment, food and wine tastings will bring the World Fencing Championships to center stage in the heart of the city, with daily medal presentations along the lines of the Turin, Beijing and Vancouver Olympic Games. It includes a protocol part with local authorities and the President of the International Fencing Federation, Mr. Alisher Usmanov, and a second part characterized by a fascinating program entitled "From the Earth to the Fire" with actor Vincenzo Pirrotta, choreographed by Roberto Zappalà and directed by Guglielmo Ferro who currently is currently working on the  theater project "Dorando Petri "for the 2012 London Olympics.




 

Fency was chosen from a contest open to young students and athletes from the national federations affiliated with FIE. It was won by two young Sicilian fencers, Concetta Dell'Albani from Avola and Rosa Inzirillo from Mazara del Vallo, who had both come up with the same idea, the prickly pear.

Full of energy, color and vitamins, the originality of this eye-catching completely Sicilian mascot (90% of Italian production of this fruit is concentrated in Sicily, particularly in Catania) will present the flavor of this fantastic fruit to all those who take part in the World Championships. And so, “Fency” is destined to become the “main character” of “Catania 2011″, a good luck charm for Catania, for athletes and fencing enthusiasts from around the globe.”

Around 700 athletes from about 100 countries are expected to participate. The finish line for entering delegations is on 8 August 2011.

This year’s World Championships are a significant milestone on the road to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. As usual at World Fencing Championships, the points obtained by each athlete are multiplied by 2.5 in individual competitions and are doubled in the team events. All results count for the qualification to the Olympic Games.

“I am convinced that Italy, Sicily and Catania in particular, will be capable of organizing a great event. I am struck by the enthusiasm and dedication of everyone to make the World Championships and outstanding success. Every year, World Championships are a big event, but with London 2012 approaching, the 2011 edition is even more important. When it comes to fencing, Italy is certainly among the strongest players, not only due to its highly successful athletes but also because of its know-how in organizing big events,” said FIE President Mr Alisher Usmanov on the occasion of the presentation of the World Championships in Rome on 24 June.

The IWAS 2011 Wheelchair World Fencing Championships will be held in parallel in the same venues. Luca Pancalli, Vice President of the Italian Olympic Committee and President of the Italian Paralympic Committee said: “I appreciate very much that these two events are held together. Sport makes no differences and fencing is the most evident example.”
 

During its session in Rome on Friday, 24 June 2011, the FIE Executive Committee discussed short and long term approaches to improve fencers’ safety that will complement the immediate measures which had been taken already in February.

The working group that was installed during the last meeting of the Executive Committee in February presented the results of its investigations. It was proposed to modify fencing gloves by positioning the whole for the body wire closer to the elbow and by applying a Velcro double protection system to close the hole. In addition, sabre blades are currently being tested for resistance.

The FIE Executive Committee is in favor of these proposals to be forwarded immediately to the fencing equipment manufacturers.

 “We take these injuries very seriously. The speed of actions in sabre has increased in recent years and we are well aware that we need to find ways to prevent these accidents in the future. At the moment, we investigate carefully how we can improve safety standards for gloves and blades on a long term basis. To reach the optimal results, we work closely together with scientists, physicians, fencers and manufacturers,” said FIE Secretary General Maxim Paramonov after the meeting of the FIE Executive Committee in Rome.