Ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships, Guernsey’s sole representative, Reeve Finch, says he is looking forward to competing at the tournament scheduled for Aug. 9 to Aug. 14 in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that fencing is a combat sport in which two competitors use swords to score points by touching their opponent while avoiding being hit themselves.
It is often described as a modern version of sword fighting and is one of the sports contested at the Olympic Games.
Finch, who mainly competes in the United Kingdom, is affiliated with the University of Salford Fencing Club and previously trained at the Guernsey Fencing Academy.
The young fencer said he had taken part in several regional and national competitions, including the British Fencing Elite Épée Series and the Mercia Novice Open.
NAN reports that Finch, a silver medallist in the Guernsey Junior Championships U14 Épée event, will be the island’s sole representative at this year’s championships.
NAN reports that the Commonwealth Fencing Championships have been held every Commonwealth Games year since fencing was removed from the Commonwealth Games programme in 1974.
Finch expressed excitement about participating in the tournament.
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“I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be a good experience,” he said.
Although he has gained considerable experience in fencing competitions, the Lagos event will be his first Senior Commonwealth Championships.
Finch was among the 18 fencers who represented Guernsey at the last senior edition held in London in 2022, and he is heading to Lagos with both ambition and a desire to improve.
“I would love to win a medal; that’s the dream goal. But my more realistic goal is to enjoy the experience, compete in a few bouts and learn what areas of my fencing I need to improve,” he said.
The championships are expected to attract hundreds of competitors from at least 25 countries, making the event highly competitive.
Finch noted that the diverse nature of the participating nations makes it difficult to predict the standard of opposition.
“As it’s such a wide range of countries, it’s difficult to know how good each fencer is from each country.
“They may not have as much fencing infrastructure, so you never know what to expect,” he said.
The Guernsey athlete also expressed appreciation to his family and to Michael Van Den Bossche of the Medical Specialist Group for supporting his participation in the championships.
He said the assistance had played a key role in helping him make the trip to Lagos for the competition.
NAN
