World Cups in the USA, France, highlight 2023 wheelchair fencing calendar

15/09/2022

The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Wheelchair Fencing has revealed an exciting and packed 2023 calendar, featuring five World Cups and three new venues in Washington DC, USA; Nimes, France, and Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

The World Cup in Washington DC will start the new season with a bang from 13-16 January. With LA 2028 on the horizon, and wheelchair fencing bidding to be on the programme, the sport wants to capitalise on the interest shown during Tokyo 2020.

According to analysis done during the last Paralympics, the USA was one of the top 10 countries for TV broadcast of wheelchair fencing overall, and for numbers of social media posts relating to the sport.

In March the World Cup circuit moves to Pisa, Italy – the host country for the previously announced World Championships taking place later in the year in Terni.

All eyes will then be on Nimes from 20-23 April when France will stage their World Cup with just over one year until the Paris 2024 Paralympics. It is hoped that bringing wheelchair fencing to the French public will help build more excitement and interest in the national team who are one of the most prolific in the sport.

In May and June attentions will turn to development as two ‘satellite’ competitions take place in Orange, France, and Klagenfurt, Austria. These events are designed to offer up-and-coming wheelchair fencers and new countries the opportunity to compete on the international stage, before stepping-up to the World Cup. Both countries have hosted successfully in the past.

The second half of the season commences with a World Cup in the familiar location of Warsaw, Poland, from 6-9 July. Fencers will be competing for the last time in the build-up to the World Championships.

Another satellite in Sao Paulo, Brazil, follows in August before the Worlds from 2-8 October. The Asian Championships then take place later that month during the rescheduled Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.

Asia will see out the season from 1-9 December when Thailand stages its second World Cup, this time in Nakhon Ratchasima, to follow-on from their successful first edition in 2022. Adding another layer of interest, the competition will be part of the 2023 IWAS World Games.

All events offer points which go towards qualification for Paris 2024.

Check out the full calendar:

IWAS Wheelchair Fencing 2023 Competition Calendar
Start Date Finish Date City Country
World Cup 13 January 2023 16 January 2023 Washington DC USA
World Cup 16 March 2023 19 March 2023 Pisa Italy
World Cup 20 April 2023 23 April 2023 Nimes France
Satellite Competition 19 May 2023 22 May 2023 Orange France
Satellite Competition 2 June 2023 4 June 2023 Klagenfurt Austria
World Cup 6 July 2023 9 July 2023 Warsaw Poland
Satellite Competition 4 August 2023 6 August 2023 Sao Paulo Brazil
World Championships 2 October 2023 8 October 2023 Terni Italy
Asian Championships 23 October 2023 28 October 2023 Hangzhou China
World Cup 1 December 2023 9 December 2023 Nakhon Ratchasima Thailand