Wheelchair fencing appoints new Commission members

23/12/2021

The IWAS Wheelchair Fencing Executive Committee has appointed former and current athletes, as well as more women, to the Commissions who support it in the growth and management of the sport.

The Committee met in-person in Budapest, Hungary, for the first time in two years on 18 December.

Featuring 12 former or current athletes, many of the Commissions have also seen an increase in female representation.

Amongst those to see an uplift include the Rule Commission which previously had no women. Now half of the members are female. Three of the five people who will sit on the Sport Commission are also now women.

Pal Szekeres, Chair of the Executive Committee, said: “Improving the gender equity and athlete leadership in all areas of wheelchair fencing is important for the sustainability of the sport. In particular we were happy to see a significant number of women and former athletes nominated by countries. However we also recognise our role in developing that talent, so we can appoint the best people for the job. More skilled and experienced people from all backgrounds will only flourish if we take active steps to encourage them. I am confident that the Gender Equity Commission – introduced in 2020 – along with the help of other, now refreshed, Commissions such as Promotions and Development can ensure we are building a pool of experts from an even more diverse range of backgrounds.”

The members of all the Commissions were appointed in Budapest, with the Chairpeople to follow in January.

Development Commission

Dimitros Kazaglis (Greece)

Baldip Sahota (IWAS)

Jin Kuk Yu (South Korea)

Dan Damasceno-Lundesgaard (Norway)

Elena Belkina (Russia)

Matjaz Fleischman (Slovenia)

Catherine Bouwkamp (USA)

Semi Commission

Mikalai Bezyazychny (Belarus)

Alberto Cruz Garcia (Costa Rica)

Martina Zmaic (Croatia)

Developing members

Kai Ziegler (Germany)

Dani Gyongi (Hungary)

Gregory Gross (Israel)

Zbigniew Wyganowski (Poland)

Rules Commission

Carolina Anzolin Araujo (Brazil)

Fabien Filaire (France)

Duncan Rowlands (Great Britain)

Henriette Tamas (Hungary)

Alessia Tognolli (Italy)

Sean Shumate (USA)

Referee Commission

Ricardo Ferrazzi Jr (Brazil)

Guillaume Dubreuil (France)

Cristopher Farren (Great Britain)

Gerald Chi Hung Cheng (Hong Kong)

Jakub Leczycki (Poland)

Jon Moss (USA)

Medical Advisory Committee

Daniel Sanabria (Costa Rica)

Ying Ki Fung (Hong Kong)

Erika Miszory (Hungary)

Gianvito Rapisarda (Italy)

Elizaveta Biletskaya (Russia)

Sport Committee

Marina Grigorian (Belarus)

Eduardo Gomes (Brazil)

Cyril More (France)

Daria Marchetti (Italy)

Nunta Chantasuvannasin (Thailand)

Promotion Commission

Alireza Poursalmani (Iran)

Rossana Pasquino (Italy)

Yuka Fujita (Japan)

Ana Elizabeth Gonzalez Ponce (Mexico)

Alexander Ibragimov (Russia)

Disciplinary Commission

Cesar Abatti (Argentina)

Rudy Chung (Hong Kong)

Alberto Ancarani (Italy)

Elsewhere on the agenda were discussions around rules and competition format changes, which were sent to the new Commissions to consider.

Arno Schneider, who was re-elected to the Executive Committee in 2020, was also appointed as Treasurer.

Attention will now shift to the start of a busy year for wheelchair fencing which will feature five World Cups and regional Championships in Asia, the Americas and Europe.

The season-opener will take place with a World Cup in Pisa, Italy, from 17-20 March. The first regional Championships will be held in Hangzhou, China, at the Asian Championships from 15-22 October.