LAUSANNE, Switz., Dec. 10, 2025 – The FIE is making significant progress in its goals of developing, supporting and educating youth, key components of its 2025-2028 Strategic Plan. A multi-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today at the FIE offices in Lausanne, Switzerland with the International Sport Federation (ISF), marking an important advance in a long-standing collaboration between the organisations and further integrating fencing into the global school sport landscape.
Present at the signing were FIE Interim President Abdelmoneim El Husseiny, FIE Secretary-General Gulnora Saidova with ISF officials President Željko Tanasković, Executive Director Hasnae El Ayoubi and Vice President Antônio Hora.
The MoU outlines details of a vision shared by both organisations to develop and build fencing opportunities for youth worldwide based on competitions, education and sustainable sport development. This will be bolstered by ISF Gymnasiades (a premier international multi-sport event for school students aged 16-18), combined with additional, innovative pathways for athletes at all youth age groups.
“This welcome and important agreement between the ISF and the FIE represents our commitment to developing fencing around the world as well as empowering and engaging with younger athletes”, said FIE Interim President El Husseiny. “We want to develop fencing as a sustainable Olympic sport, and for future generations to be able to discover how exciting, rewarding and fulfilling it is for them and their communities.”
The FIE Fencing for the Planet sustainability programme, designed to develop and promote environmental awareness and responsibility along with community action and proactive projects related to fencing events and competition, is outlined in the MoU as one of the “cooperation pillars”. In addition, joint efforts to develop the professional development of fencing coaches and physical education teachers, together the FIE and ISF are committed to strengthening and building the capacity of school sport educators and reinforcing fencing as an accessible and educational tool worldwide.
“The ISF looks forward to working closely with the FIE in the coming years to advance this partnership”, said the ISF in an official statement. Furthermore, it looks to “enhance youth development through sport and education, and continue expanding safe, inclusive and inspiring environments for student-athletes worldwide”.
One of the notable and key components of the agreement is a collaborative organisation of an ISF World School Championship in Egypt in two years, featuring cadet and junior categories and approximately 250 athletes competing. The event will also feature a “Cultural Day” and “Nations Night” in Cairo, an ISF tradition, to provide student athletes with a rich and diverse experience extending beyond sports and fostering intercultural learning.
By agreeing to multiple editions of upcoming school fencing events, the two organisations are reaffirming a shared commitment to offer sustainable, high-quality opportunities for youth sport and fencing participation. Through this renewed collaboration, the FIE and ISF convey a broader ambition to connect international fencing with school sport systems and provide students worldwide an opportunity to discover fencing, develop life skills and create global exchanges with their peers.
About the International School Sport Federation (ISF)
Founded in 1972, the International School Sport Federation (ISF) is an international non-profit sport organisation, acting as the umbrella organisation and governing body for national school sport organisations around the world, organising sport, and educational events for youth from 11 to 18 years old.
Recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1995, the ISF currently consists of 126 members over the five continents organising over 5 - 7 events per year and has more than 30 different sports included in its competition programme.
Besides its sport events, ISF also creates and delivers quality education and capacity-building activities for physical education teachers, national school sport representatives, coaches, officials, and students around the world.