British Fencing pledges technical support to Nigeria

The President of the British Fencing Federation, Pat Aiyenuro, has
pledged her federation’s technical support to the Nigerian Fencing
Federation, marking the beginning of a collaboration between the two
nations.
Impressed with the organization of the first fencing World Cup in
Sub-Saharan Africa, Aiyenuro noted that assembling some of the world’s
best fencers in Lagos confirms Nigeria’s growing status in the sport.
She assured that British Fencing would partner with Nigeria to train its
personnel, including coaches and referees, to be on par with the rest of
the world technically.
“I think we are privileged to have some of the top fencing nations come
here and compete. We have a world champion here, which shows that they
believe in Nigeria’s ability to host a top-tier competition. I’m
impressed; the quality of the fencing is world-class.
“We are already working on a collaboration with the Nigeria Fencing
Federation to train more referees and coaches. There is potential here,
and the federation is forward-thinking, trying to make these things
happen,” she said.
For 17-year-old Oluwashemilore Fashola, competing against some of the
best fencers in the world has boosted his confidence ahead of future
international tournaments.
“I’m very excited and proud of Nigeria for securing the hosting rights
for this competition. It’s a great experience, especially since it’s my
first. I’ve met many fencers, and they can see how far Nigeria has come
in the sport.
“Currently, I’m very impressed by the level of competition. All the
other countries brought their best fencers to participate. Even though
fencing isn’t very popular here, and many of us haven’t been doing it
for long or consistently, we have still managed to go far. It’s a
significant achievement since we were up against some of the best in the
world.
“What we can do to improve is to participate in more competitions and
keep facing these top fencers. We also need to continue training
diligently,” he added.