Fancying fencing

For a sport that began its journey in Bangladesh in only 2008 and is making its first venture in the Bangladesh Games, one can't expect fencing to rival the likes of shooting, archery or the other more popular individual events.
However, a mere glance at the Shaheed Sohrawardi Indoor Stadium at Mirpur, which hosted the event for the last two days, best described the extent of penetration that the sport has made in various pockets of the city. The seriousness with which the participants, majority of whom were in their late teens, prepared before every game -- working on the calf muscles, methodically wearing their jackets and straightening their swords -- belied their young age.
The roofed playing arena has been the home of fencing in the country ever since its inception. As a result the sport gradually gained in popularity among educational institutions of the region.
"In 2008, the physical education teachers of various institutions in Mirpur were briefed about the sport by the Bangladesh Fencing Association," said Faiez Ahmed, member of the Games. The BFA was formed by the Ansar and Village Defence Party Club with a group of 40 fencers.
The short journey has witnessed a series of accolades. Bangladesh won the bronze and silver in the 2010 and 2012 South Asian Fencing Championships respectively. They also won the bronze medal in the Epee category of Fencing in Hyderabad. Bangladeshi fencers also participated in the World Cup in Italy last year.
While the sport has gradually progressed over the years in Bangladesh, it did however, face its share of obstacles as well. Apart from battling cricket, it also struggles to receive funding.
"It's an expensive game. The mat on which the players play cost around 27 lakh taka. The swords and the protective gear come at a price of at least Tk 20,000. We import them from China, France and other countries," said Faiez.
The lack of funding affects the coaching process as well. "The coaches we get are of the basic level. We need coaches from advanced category for us to progress," said Monir Hossain, this year's gold medalist in the sport's Foil category.
"In a tournament in the Philippines, I reached the last 16 by beating fencers from Australia and France. I can definitely do better with advanced coaching," added Monir, who is a second year student of BUBT.
Fencing may still be taking its baby steps in Bangladesh. The association at best can only organise three to four competitions every year. However, having managed to attract a good number of young fencers so early there's no doubt that the sport's following the right path.