The FIE President, Alisher Usmanov opens the Press Conference for Tashkent 2015
Tashkent, 2 April 2015
The first day of the Cadet and Junior Fencing World Championships ran smoothly with the Cadet’s epee competition opening the Championships. The venue was full, with spectators and local & international media attending the Opening Ceremony and the finals in women’s and men’s epee. The FIE President, Alisher Usmanov, officially opened the Championships in his home country of Uzbekistan and welcomed spectators, media and friends of fencing to the championships. During the press conference earlier this afternoon, the FIE President mentioned that these Championships are a result of the development of fencing in Uzbekistan, from the fencing schools right up to those Championships.
The FIE Secretary General, Frederic Pietruszka, commented on the successful Fencing Grand Prix Series, the worldwide development of fencing and the intense preparations on the road to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Mirabror Usmanov, President of the National Olympic Committee, and Sabirjan Ruziyev, President of the Uzbekistan Fencing Federation, made their welcome speeches during the opening Press Conference.
Spectators and officials witnessed a fantastic opening ceremony with lots of traditional Uzbek elements, showing the old and strong tradition of fencing in the country of Uzbekistan to the world. It is the first time that the capital of Uzbekistan has hosted these championships, which feature athletes from countries all over the world.
The young fencers started celebrating the second International Day of Sport for Development and Peace #April6 with the FIE. They sent a massive message through FIE and Peace and Sport social media platforms, sharing pictures and with events dedicated to the special day. The FIE President was part of the celebration with the young fencers, participating in the campaign #whitecard of Peace and Sport. The Cadet and Junior Fencing World Championships gave a strong message, supporting the International Day of Piece and Sport and motivating all athletes to be part of the celebration.
The Championships are being held in the “GSC” complex, which is considered one of the biggest gymnastics halls in the world. Even though the complex is quite new, several prestigious tournaments such as the World cup series in Rhythmic Gymnastics 2011, 2012, the Asian Championships for Artistic Gymnastics 2014, the World Cup FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics 2014 and the Wrestling World Championships have been held in it.
The competition organisers are the Uzbekistan Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Culture and Sports affairs, the Uzbekistan Fencing Federation and the relevant Ministries and Departments of the Republic of Uzbekistan, under the auspices of the FIE.
Fans and media can follow the live stream of the event on the FIE YouTube Channel and receive the latest information on the FIE twitter as well as on www.fie.org and the FIE Facebook page.
Get live info from Live Results and Tashkent 2015 Media Info System
Tashkent 2015 official website
FIE Official Partners: TISSOT, MEGAFON, INTERNATIONAL CHARITY FUND FOR THE FUTURE OF FENCING