The birth of Fiji Fencing

The Oceania Fencing Confederation (OFC) hosted a public meeting on February 8 at Fiji Olympic House in Suva, to bring together those interested in establishing a new federation to oversee and manage the sport of fencing in Fiji.

The meeting was very well attended and resulted in the establishment of the Interim Fiji Fencing Executive Committee. This group met after the public meeting to elect its interim office bearers and plan next steps on its journey.

The interim office bearers include President Liz Sims, Vice Presidents Ashniel Bijay and John Lewis, and Secretary Kris Stice and Treasurer Diana Lewis. Other Committee members include William Dansey, Joji Tamani and Apisalome Damuyawa.

The group will work to establish a federation to meet the requirements of FASANOC, the Fijian Government and the International Fencing Federation. This will initially require the establishment of clubs in at least three districts of Fiji. The establishment of a club near Suva is expected soon.

A lively and fun-filled ‘come and try’ session was also held after the meeting, led by OFC Regional Development Officer, Leon Thomas.