Nigeria unveils squad for Fencing World Cup as teams arrive

The Nigeria Fencing Federation has announced a seven-man squad for the 2024 Men’s Junior Epee Fencing World Cup, scheduled for 14-15 December at Charterhouse Lagos.

Leading the squad is former African cadet and national junior champion, Wisdom Okanlawon.

The 17-year-old brings valuable experience from the 2022 African
Championships, where he excelled for Nigeria.

Joining him is 15-year-old Kiibaati Opasanya, the national school vice-champion, who will make his international debut at this tournament.

The squad also includes Oluwashemilore Fashola (17), Mustapha Fuad (16), Olumuyiwa Ige (17), Bade Martins (17), and Ramadan Sumon (15).

This talented group of young fencers is poised to represent Nigeria with pride and determination on the international stage under the guidance of
coach Ibrahim Alogba, who expressed optimism about the athletes’ potential.

A delighted Fashola, participating in his first international
tournament, said, “I can’t wait to compete against the best in the
world. This is an opportunity for us to improve our world ranking and
perform well. I must thank the federation for allowing me to compete in
this event, and I am looking forward to the tournament.”

Meanwhile, some participating athletes and teams have started arriving on Thursday, 12 December, ahead of the kick-off on 15 Saturday, December.

READ ALSO: Fencing: Commonwealth Federation to monitor World Cup in Lagos

The Commonwealth Fencing Federation (CFF), led by its Technical Committee Chairman, Peter Smith, is in Lagos to monitor the success of the two-day tournament as part of the prerequisites to award the 2026
Commonwealth Championships to Nigeria.

Referees from South Africa and Senegal have also arrived in Lagos in readiness for the first Fencing World Cup in Sub-Saharan Africa.

An official of the International Fencing Federation (FIE), Zied Feriani, who is the President of the FIE Rules Commission, has also arrived Lagos to supervise the tournament.