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News
Top international fencing
official inspects Doha facilities
for 2004 Qatar World Cup
Jochen Farber, the media head of the Federation
Internationale D’Escrime (FIE), yesterday met
the local media after overseeing preparations for the
Qatar Fencing World Cup in January 2004. The World Cup
in Doha will be the first ever to be held anywhere in
this region and Farber hoped it would provide a much-needed
fillip to the sport which for long has been a bastion
of the European countries.
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The event, which will
feature only epee, is set to attract fencers from
over 30 countries, with 26 already signed in. “I
am expecting more than 100 fencers,” Farber
said. The bouts will be held at Al Sadd stadium
while the scene of action shifts to the Majlis Hall
of the Sheraton Hotel for the semi-finals and final.
Fencing powerhouses like Germany,France, Switzerland,
Hungary, Italy and rising challengers Korea, Japan
and the USA are likely to send top fencers for the
event which will be held on January 10-11, 2004.
“The Doha World Cup is also one of the qualifying
stages for the Athens Olympics,” informed
Farber. |
“It is important to perform well in Doha because
the points will matter when the cut-off is effected in
March.” The FIE official visited the venues in Doha
and gave them top marks, saying they were on par with
the best in the world. Also present at the meeting were
Vice-Chairman of the Qatar Fencing Federation Sheikh Hassan
Al-Thani and Secretary General Mohamed Al-Ayami.
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