Cardiff Para Fencing European Championships backed to leave legacy

The continental showpiece is being held in the UK for the first time since Sheffield in 2011, hosted at the Sport Wales National Centre in the shadow of Sophia Gardens.

World Abilitysport awarded the hosting of the event to British Fencing, in partnership with UK Sport, supported by funding from The National Lottery and the Welsh Government.

The event comes after the successful hosting of a World Cup event in the city two years ago with Disability Sport Wales, the lead organisation for sport and physical activity for disabled people in Wales, leading the team of over almost 100 volunteers.

The event's social impact is set to leave a significant legacy in the city of Cardiff, Wales and across the UK, with schools across the city taking part in workshops, learning about the sport and the event.

And Usher, appointed CEO in 2014 after a successful fencing career for Scotland that included Commonwealth gold, said: “It’s fantastic to be back in Cardiff.

“We first ran a World Cup event here in 2024 and we’ve now been able to bring back a European Championships, thanks to the funding from UK Sport through The National Lottery and the Welsh Government.

“We have such a great relationship with our partners in Wales, so we really want to maximise this opportunity.

“We’ve been out in communities giving schoolchildren the opportunity to fence – this event is not just what you see, but it’s what happens around it and the legacy it leaves, which is what makes it such a fantastic event.

“It leaves a mark beyond the last anthem and the last medal ceremony.”

These European Championships also mark the maiden qualification event for the LA2028 Paralympic Games.

And Usher, who competed for Great Britain at multiple World and European Championships, added: “It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to host this incredible event, which marks the kick off of the Paralympic qualification cycle.

“It’s a real honour – we’ve got an incredible squad of athletes and between them, they have a lot of Paralympic medals.

“Clearly, they’ll be looking for more in LA.

“When it gets round to qualification, anyone who works in sport gets very excited.

“There are not that many qualification events that run for the athletes when we look at Europe, so we’re not only bringing it to Europe, but to Cardiff.”

The opening day of action also saw several individuals honoured with prestigious British Fencing medals for their long-term services to the sport.

Matthew Russell, Evert van Gemeren, Michael Clemitson and Yvonne Hopkinson were all recognised in a special VIP ceremony during the lunch interval.

Usher said: “It was really lovely to honour two people that had played a huge role in both Welsh Fencing and British Fencing.

“Matt has worked behind the scenes and was instrumental in bringing the World Cup event to Cardiff in 2024.

“Without the support of Matt, we would not have been able to achieve anything like the social impact we achieved at the time and are doing so now.

“He has left a real legacy.

“We also honoured Michael, who has supported fencing for over 50 years as a coach and administrator.

“It was an honour to celebrate him, for his role supporting both clubs and Welsh Fencing.

“Ev is a fantastic coach developer, delivering coaching in new communities and willing to put himself forward for so many different roles.

“And Yvonne is also really important – she does a lot of welfare roles, which are not necessarily the most exciting roles but involve so much hard work behind the scenes to ensure athletes can be safe, have fun and feel welcome.”

The Para Fencing European Championships, supported by funding from UK Sport through The National Lottery, and Welsh Government, is being held in Cardiff on the 6th-11th October 2026, seeing athletes from across Europe compete in the first qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. For more information and tickets visit here