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Seniors, Veterans & U23

 Call for Interest and Selection Criteria

The 2026 Commonwealth Senior, Veterans & U23 Fencing Championships will take place at Charterhouse School, Lagos, Nigeria from Sunday 09 August to Wednesday 19 August 2026. (Weapons control opens Saturday 08 August 2026.)

Individual events planned for Senior, Veteran, U23 and Wheelchair categories in all 3 weapons.

Team events planned for Senior, Veteran and Wheelchair categories.

Fencers wishing to represent Northern Ireland must register their interest and provide information about their training programme and competitions entered. Expressions of interest must be submitted to Mike Westgate by email ([email protected]) no later than 10pm Friday 31 October 2025. Team selections will be made on Monday 01 December 2025.

Mandatory requirements for participation

1.       British Fencing licence valid for the 2025-2026 season and the duration of the competition.Fencers without a valid licence will not be considered for selection.

2.       FIE Licence valid for your country for the duration of the competition. Please note that an FIE licence is different to a British Fencing licence but can be purchased on the BF Sport80 platform.

3.       Valid UK and/or Irish passport.

Selection standards

Fencers wishing to represent Northern Ireland should be actively training and competing. Fencers should provide information about their training and competitions to Mike Westgate for consideration by the selection committee. This information should be accurate, up-to-date, and verifiable.

We request the following information:

A.      Coach name & contact information. If you do not have a coach, please provide the name of an alternative relevant contact (e.g. fencing club chairperson).

B.       Training plan. This information should include (but is not necessarily limited to) how often a fencer engages in fencing training and other activities which support their fencing (e.g. additional sports, strength and conditioning routine, etc.).

C.       2024-2025 Competition Results. Fencers should provide their results, the number of competitors and age category (cadet, junior, senior, veteran, etc.) for all events in which they took part during the 2024-2025 season. Where possible, please provide a website URL for verification of all results.

D.      2025-2026 Competition Results. Fencers should also provide the same information on an ongoing basis for all events they attend during the 2025-2026 season.

E.       Training camps/representative teams. Fencers should indicate whether they attended any training events which are not part of their typical training plan (e.g. international training camps) and whether they were a member of any relevant representative teams (e.g. university team, 5-Nations, Satellite, World Cup, Grand Prix, etc.) during the 2024-2025 season.

F.       Rankings. Fencers should provide a list of all national and/or regional rankings, if any, as at the date of their Expression of Interest.

G.      List of planned competitions and other training events for 2025-2026.

H.      Any additional information. If there is any additional information that you think the selectors should know about, please let us know (e.g. a former/current injury that interferes with your ability to train or compete).

Competition details

The tournament organisers are currently preparing accommodation packages. We understand that fencers and coaches will be able to book accommodation at Charterhouse School but do not have any details to share just yet. The organisers are also negotiating discounted accommodation at local tourist hotels. More information is due to be published shortly and will hopefully address entry procedures and deadlines, visa guidance, accommodation packages and transportation plans.

** Postponed **

Unfortunately, the Derry Open, originally scheduled for 04/05 October 2025, has been postponed. 

The venue roof has leaked and damaged the hall floor. It’s unlikely to be repaired in time and we have not yet been able to secure a suitable replacement. Conscious that many people are making travel & accommodation plans, we have decided to postpone now. Many apologies for the inconvenience.

We are still planning to hold the event this season – we’ll be in touch soon with new dates. 

Tickets are now on sale for the first round of the Northern Ireland Junior Foil Series.

Buy Tickets

NI Fencing was honoured to be asked to deliver Fencing as one of the sports which was featured in this year’s GLL Summer Scheme Celebration Day which took place at the Ozone in Belfast.

Over 400 children from across the City were able to try a number of activities including Fencing.

Our relationship with GLL is allowing us to offer our sport to many communities and groups  who wouldn’t ordinarily have encountered Fencing and we look forward to growing our reach in the coming year.

If you or your school / club are interested in trying fencing please click here https://www.nifencing.com/learn-more/ to register your interest

As an organisation which has a commitment to inclusion and Best Practice in Women’s Sport NI Fencing would like to highlight this upcoming event.

Date 3rd September (WED)

Time: 10AM – 12PM

Ulster University, Belfast

Women’s Sport Series – Breaking barriers: being inclusive at all levels

Join the Female Sports Forum for our next Women’s Sport Series, focused on inclusion in sport from grassroots to leadership. This in-person event, Breaking Barriers: Being Inclusive at All Levels, will explore how we can create welcoming environments in sport, challenge exclusionary practices, and build truly inclusive systems across sport and physical activity.

Register here: https://form.jotform.com/252093857138363

Note: Spaces are limited so early registration is suggested

NI Fencing , in partnership with our national governing body , British Fencing, successfully delivered a Core Coach training session in Belfast last week.

13 participants attended the session which was delivered by Neil Brown, British Fencing Project Officer.

The Core Coach programme is designed to qualify the participants to be to deliver entry level coaching sessions

To be able to qualify as a Core Coach you do not need to have previous fencing experience.

More Information

If you or your organisation are interested in the Core
Coach programme, please contact [email protected]

NI Fencing is the governing body for fencing in Northern Ireland and is an affiliate of British Fencing. 

We are responsible for ensuring that adequate safeguarding procedures are adopted across the sport by clubs, coaches, athletes and all other participants. We work closely with the safeguarding teams at British Fencing, Sport NI and the NSPCC. Our safeguarding policies and procedures meet the requirements of those organisations. 

We are looking for a new volunteer Safeguarding Officer with immediate effect. 

The main responsibilites are to ensure that NI Fencing’s policies and procedures are updated from time to time to ensure best practice; to communicate regularly with the safeguarding teams at British Fencing, Sport NI and the NSPCC; process Access NI applications by NI coaches and other participants ; and help ensure the NI Fencing board meets its statutory obligations. 

If you are interested then please email James Penny ([email protected]). 

What is it?  Clubs registered in Northern Ireland can apply to NI Fencing for up to £500 to assist with plans to increase membership participation during the 2025/26 season. 

How much is available?  There is £2,000 available so, initially, we intend to award 4 grants of up to £500 each. The money must be spent by 31 March 2026.

How do we apply?  Clubs should apply by completing the application form below. Detailed guidelines for completing the form are also available below.  

When do we apply?  Applications should be submitted no later than 30 September 2025

Can any club apply?  Yes, so long as the club is registered with British Fencing and any coaches and volunteers who participate in the funded scheme also have up-to-date British Fencing registrations, safeguarding and first aid qualifications.

Any questions, please email [email protected]. 

Save the date: @ukantidoping’s Clean Sport Week is back on 19 – 23 May. 

To ensure the future of our sport is a clean one, it’s vital that we support and inspire young people to become proud clean athletes. 

#CleanSportWeek

Further Details