SEA GAMES 2025 OFFERS FENCERS LIFELINE TO GET BACK INTO NSC PROGRAMME

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- Next month's 2025 SEA Games in Thailand is set to be a crucial launching pad for the national fencing team to be restored under the National Sports Council's (NSC) programme after being dropped in 2013.

Mohammad Hairi Abdullah, the manager of the fencing team bound for the SEA Games, said the fencers have a good chance of being reabsorbed into NSC's training programme if they can shine at the biennial Games from Dec 9-20.

He said the national team, comprising 17 fencers competing in three disciplines - foil, epee and sabre - aim to return with two gold medals, although he did not discount the possibility of them coming back with a better medal haul.

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"I was told that if the national fencing team can achieve - or exceed - the target set, a place in NSC's programme awaits them. So, I hope our fencers can perform well and get back into the NSC programme, which we deserve to be in.

"… we hope to bring back one gold medal or at least two bronze medals...,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

Mohammad Hairi, who is also Fencing Malaysia vice-president, said the national squad are currently training overseas based on their discipline, including in South Korea, Italy, the United States, Japan and Singapore.

They will, however, reassemble in Malaysia before undergoing the final phase of training camp ahead of the biennial Games.

For the record, the fencing team won four bronze medals in the 2023 edition in Cambodia and one silver and three bronze medals in 2021 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Malaysia last won the fencing gold in the 2011 edition in Indonesia through Muhammad Radhi Hasim, Yu Peng Kean and Liong Ming Chan in the men's team sabre event, as well as Joshua Koh in men's individual epee.

-- BERNAMA