Fencing Set for Khelo India Games Debut in Bhubaneshwar

The sport of fencing is set to get a boost in the country with it being included in the Khelo India Games set-up. Fencing will make its debut at the Khelo India University Games slated to be held in Bhubaneswar from February 22 to March 1.

Asian Games gold medallist (team) Jagmeet Kaur feels the Khelo India will provide good exposure to the Indian fencers. “The Khelo India University Games will be very good for fencing since there are not too many competitions for us. So, the more competitions take place the better it is for us. The fencers in India will get exposure by playing in the Khelo India University Games,” said Jagmeet Kaur, who will be part of the Guru Nanak Dev University team.

Ena Arora, who will be represent Punjabi University team, hopes the event will better prepare Indian athletes to perform at international meets and win medals. “It’s great that the government is supporting fencing through the Khelo India University Games. With continued support, I am sure that Indian athletes will perform well at the national and international levels. We will have better chances to win medals at the highest level,” said the 22-year-old.

RS Sherjin of Tamil Nadu, is looking at the University Games as a platform that will enable fencers to not only showcase their talent but also serve as a bridge between junior and senior categories. “Moving from the junior to the senior category is quite difficult. So the athletes can perform at the university-level to have a chance to showcase their talent. They can participate at the World University Games as well,” said Sherjin.

Udaivir Singh, who will turn out for the Guru Nanak Dev University, hopes this will help in raising the standards of fencing in India. “The Khelo India University Games will be a big boost to our sport since we don’t have too many competitions. The more exposure the better for all athletes. The level of opponents is very low in India. I have been training in France for the last one and a half years and the fencers there are much better in comparison to the fencers in India. The fencers here don’t have much exposure,” said Udaivir.