Seven clubs from 6 Arab countries cross blades at AWST 2026

February 03, 2026 / 1:07 PM

Sharjah 24: Fencing takes the first strike today at the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2026) in Sharjah, as the individual competition gets underway. The eighth edition of the tournament, organised by Sharjah Women’s Sports and running until February 12, brings together 65 teams from 16 Arab countries competing across nine individual and team sports.

The fencing programme opens today with individual competitions across three weapons: épée (18 fencers), foil (19 fencers) and sabre (16 fencers), while team competitions will take place on Wednesday.

Seven clubs and 6 Arab countries

Participating clubs include Sharjah Women’s Sports Club and Fujairah Martial Arts Club of the UAE, Bahraini Busaiteen Club, Saudi Al Ula Club, Damascus Club of Syria, Kuwait Fencing Association Academy, and Salalah Club from Oman.

During the technical meeting, the competition schedule for the individual events on 3 February was approved, following the order of weapons. Épée bouts will commence at 10:00 AM, followed by Foil at 12:00 PM and Sabre at 2:00 PM, with the day concluding with the finals at 4:30 PM. It was also confirmed that 4 February has been designated for the team events, maintaining the same sequence of weapons and identical time slots, culminating in the finals at 4:30 PM.

The fencing technical meeting was held on Sunday, bringing together administrative and technical leadership, federation representatives, referees, and team officials. Technical and organisational regulations were reviewed to ensure the smooth running of the competition, and an anti-doping briefing was provided outlining approved procedures and compliance requirements.

Growth and diversity of Arab women’s sport across nine disciplines

Eligibility checks were conducted during the meeting by reviewing athletes' accreditation and passports, ahead of distributing official cards to team administrators. The official draw for the fencing competition was also held, confirming the participating clubs.

Sharjah Women’s Sports has invited the public to attend the fencing competitions as part of a tournament programme showcasing the growth and diversity of Arab women’s sport across nine disciplines.