Fencing for the Planet Roundtable Hosted at 2025 Tbilisi Fencing World Championships

In the framework of the FIE’s 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, which outlines a roadmap emphasizing Olympic values, innovation, education, sustainability, inclusivity and good governance — underpinned by measurable outcomes — one of the important initiatives is Fencing for the Planet.

A Fencing for the Planet Roundtable was held at the 2025 Tbilisi Fencing World Championships, on the 23rd of July, a key event hosted by the FIE Fencing and Environment Working Group. This campaign exemplifies how sporting organizations can lead by example, integrating sustainability into their core values and operations and following the International Olympic Committee sustainability mandate.

As part of the Fencing for the Planet programme at the 2025 World Championships, 30 Colchian pheasants were released in the Krtsanisi Forest Park. The activity was carried out by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of the Georgian National Agency of Wildlife.

Increasing the population of the Colchian pheasants is an important part of a broader project focused on the reproduction and reintroduction of local wildlife species into their natural habitats.

FIE Interim President El Husseiny stated, “Birds and their release symbolize freedom, hope and the restoration of natural balance, and the idea of giving nature the space to survive. It also presents a sense of harmony with nature and a respectful coexistence between humans and the natural world, an essential principle of sustainability. Birds signify a natural cycle of life, which in turn reflects sustainability’s core mission of circularity – where resources are reused, ecosystems are protected and human impact is minimized. Our Fencing for the Planet release of birds encourages us all to think beyond ourselves and act in service of a living, breathing planet. It is an important call to let the Earth—and all who share it—breathe, move and thrive once again.”

Fencing for the Planet Roundtable at the 2025 Tbilisi Fencing World Championships

Several distinguished panelists from various backgrounds presenting concepts, examples and discussions of sustainability and environmental conscientiousness:

• Ms. Julie Duffus, Head of Sustainability at IOC, could not be present, but sent a video message for the Roundtable.
• Mr Carl Amirgulashvili, Head of Biodiversity and Forestry Department, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia
• Ms. Anna Platonova, Head of the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia
• Professor Luigi Mazzone, President of the Italian Fencing Federation (FIS); Chief of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit – Policlinico Tor Vergata University Hospital, Rome, Italy
• Ms. Deqa Niamkey, United World Wrestling (UWW) Development Director and Chair of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) Working Group for Development and Education
• Ms. Andrea Campos Esquivel, epee fencer from Costa Rica, who also competed at the Tbilisi World Championships. She is an environmental engineer and it was thanks to her work that the organisation of a junior epee world cup in 2024 was awarded the ecological blue flag that was then donated to the FIE during the 2024 Congress in Tashkent.
• Ms. Baiba Brandule, member of the FIE Fencing and Environment working group and SEMI Commission.
• Mr. Arno Schneider, member of the FIE Executive Committee and Head of the Working Group Fencing and Environment. He is from Rio and will be very involved in managing the 2026 Rio Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships – Rio is an iconic city, in which all converges: it hosted the Earth summit in 1992, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 and the Olympic Games in 2016.

To see highlights of the panelists’ presentations, please click here.

Notably, attendees at the conference also included FIE Interim President, Abdelmoneim El Husseiny; FIE Secretary-General, Gulnora Saidova; and President of the Georgian Fencing Federation, Merab Bazadze.

Secretary-General Saidova addressed the Roundtable, emphasizing Fencing for the Planet as an important initiative for the FIE, thanking the participants and attendees for their strong interest and contributions, and assuring the ongoing commitment to the programme and continuing projects and activities to take place.

Conclusion: En Garde for the Earth

“Fencing for the Planet” is more than a slogan; it is a rallying cry for the international fencing family. By wielding both weapons and sustainability, the FIE and its members aim to protect not only the legacy of their sport but also the health of the planet for generations to come. Through innovation, education, and collective effort, fencing demonstrates that even the oldest of traditions can adapt and thrive in a changing world – proving that the true spirit of competition extends to safeguarding the Earth itself.