Dedicated halls for fencing are being made available in five districts of Maharashtra to encourage the sport and provide fencing players opportunities at the national and international level, said Maharashtra Minister Satej Patil who is also the president of the Fencing Association of Maharashtra and the vice-president of the Fencing Association of India.

Patil was speaking at the inauguration of the 32nd State-Level Senior Fencing Championship Competition at Rajmata Jijau Saheb Multipurpose Auditorium at Shivaji University on Saturday. He said funding for the dedicated halls will be provided from the District Annual Planning allocation and by the state fencing association.

Patil said, β€œThe competitions have resumed again after the lockdown. As many as 24 players will be selected from this competition for the national-level competition in Patiala. The players selected will represent the state in the solo and team categories.”

The minister assured that no player will lose any opportunity in the sport owing to financial reasons and the association will adopt such players and support them. He also appealed to experts in the field to suggest schemes for the development of fencing.

Uday Dongre, secretary of Maharashtra Fencing Association, said players to represent the state at the national level will be selected from the 450 participants at the competition, which is being organised in three categories – epee, foil and sabre – and will conclude on Monday.

News Source- Hindustan Times

Image Source- CA Bhavani Devi (Twitter)