Iraqi National Youth Fencing Championship 2011 rescheduled again – Fencing Update
Iraqi Fencing Federation announced the previously postponed National Youth Championship 2011 to commence on Thursday, March 10 at the Faculty of Physical Education in University of Baghdad campus. According to the new date, this event was to be held on Saturday,
February 26 but was postponed for an indefinite timeframe due to the protests which began on February 25 in Baghdad.
The tournament has been delayed three times due to anti-government protests and security curfews which made it almost impossible to get the Championships started for the past few weeks.
Iraqi Fencing Federation’s Secretary Ziyad Hassan informed that the National Fencing Championship for youth and juniors will begin on Thursday and will be a three-day event.
Due to the fact that this a Youth Championship, the Iraqi Fencing Federation did not want to take any chances when it came to the security of their participants and decided to hold the tournament in the University of Baghdad campus. This will ensure the
security of the participants and the spectator wanting to watch this exciting tournament. Also, with recent rallies and protest taking place in and around Baghdad, the Iraqi Fencing Federations’ Ziyad Hassan felt it important to delay the start of the tournament
due to the recent protests taking place.
Hassan felt it was important to guarantee the safety of the participants due to the fact that they are young athletes and many parents would worry about their child’s safety during the tournament.
It will be interesting to see what type of turn-out is expected for the Championships. The fact that the tournament is being held in the University of Baghdad campus will allow for many people to come and take part in the tournament and enjoy some fierce
competition amongst the young fencers participating. If all goes well, the Iraqi Fencing Federation may consider hosting a senior National fencing Championship to give a chance to the senior fencers to compete.
Only time will tell how well fencing takes hold in countries like Iraq. However, with the lure of overseas tournaments and a healthy competitive atmosphere, the youth in Iraq might get attracted to fencing and begin participating in regional and national
events.
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