Wuxi to host 2018 World Fencing Championships

The press conference of the 2018 World Fencing Championships is held in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province on July 9. [Photo by Xiang Wenjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2018 World Fencing Championships, featuring the world's top fencers competing in 12 individual and team events in epee, foil, and sabre, is to be held in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province from July 19 to 27.

To date, roughly 1,370 athletes from 108 countries and regions across the world have registered in the event, making it the highest level international athletic competition ever held in the city, Huang Haoran, director of the Wuxi sports bureau, told a press conference held in Wuxi Monday.

Huang, also secretary general of the event's organizing committee, revealed that Wuxi New Sports Stadium, the main venue for the competition, has been renovated strictly in accordance with International Fencing Federation standards and final tests on facilities and equipment will begin on Tuesday.

Liu Xia (left), deputy mayor of Wuxi and Liu Tong, deputy director of the Jiangsu provincial bureau of sports, unveil the mascot, logo and poster for the competition during the press conference. [Photo by Xiang Wenjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

"As a traditional sport with long history, fencing nowadays is seeing a rise in popularity in China," said Wang Haibin, chairman of the China Fencing Association and director of the 2018 World Fencing Championships organizing committee. According to Wang, the fencing athletes registered in China thus far have topped more than 1,000, with about 100 fencing clubs and training centers across the country.

He affirmed Wuxi's efforts in preparing the sports event, pointing out that hosting the 2018 World Fencing Championships will boost the sport's popularity not just in Wuxi but across the country. "It will further increase fencing's popularity in China, infusing new vitality into Wuxi's sports industry as well as the city development."

In Nov, 2015, Wuxi beat the Japanese city of Fukuoka with 69 votes against 47, becoming the first city in China to hold such an event. It is also home to Absolute Force, the world's largest fencing equipment supplier, and, in 2016, it successfully held the Asian Fencing Championships.

Wang Haibin, chairman of the China Fencing Association, answers reporters' questions after the press conference. [Photo by Xiang Wenjian/chinadaily.com.cn]