"Musketeers" from Turkmenistan to cross swords in Bahrain
On 30 September, two-day second Epee Junior Fencing World Cup Championship started in Isa Town, Bahrain. The event is held under the patronage of the chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, the president of the Olympic Committee of Bahrain Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and sponsored by the major companies of this Middle East nation.
The present tournament has brought together on the courts of the sports complex "Khalifa Sports City Hall" along with Turkmenistan the prominent fencers from 25 countries - Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Netherlands, UAE, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Croatia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Estonia, South Africa.
The first day of the championship was devoted to the men’s single competitions and women’s singles will meet on 1 October.
According to the Epee rules, rivals seek to inflict the as much as possible hits to each other with by weapon’s tip, targeting any part of the body, except the head’s back. Unlike other fencing disciplines, epee is heavier than foils and sabers.
The Fencing Federation of Turkmenistan plays active role in promoting this sport, which has been developing in the country since the 1920s. The swordsmen are professionally trained by the National Institute of Sport and Tourism since 2012.
The students of this higher educational establishment repeatedly became winners of international tournaments and championships. Particularly, they distinguished themselves at V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, since the Turkmen national team won 245 medals, ranking the top line in general medal standings.
