Discover HKBU
Where skills meet sportsmanship
18 Aug 2023
The sparring was intense and pointed, yet the atmosphere remained cheerful, and a strong sense of camaraderie permeated the event. In a lightning-fast pace, young fencers lunged and parried along the fencing strips, which are known as pistes, in pursuit of sporting excellence.
This was the Hong Kong 2023 International Collegiate Fencing Invitational, co-hosted by HKBU and the Absolute Development and Exchange Foundation.
Returning for the first time since the pandemic, the Invitational was held at the Wai Hang Sports Centre on the HKBU campus. The two-day tournament attracted about 60 student fencers from 13 universities, including HKBU as well as institutions from Mainland China and the US.
Miss Au Sin-ying, a former member of the China Hong Kong Fencing Team and an HKBU alumna, serves as the coach of the HKBU Fencing Team. She views the tournament as a valuable opportunity for local student athletes to broaden their horizons, and she strongly encourages her team to participate and make the most out of the experience.
During the tournament, fencers from different universities competed in men’s and women’s individual events in foil, epee and saber. Following the individual events, the fencers were randomly grouped together for a mixed-team competition. This fostered exciting opportunities for exchange and collaboration among the student athletes.
Year 4 student Aaron Woo is a saber fencer among the ten HKBU student fencers who joined the competition. He says: “It’s a privilege to compete against top fencers from other universities. I find it particularly rewarding to observe their various techniques, as this can help me improve my performance.”
Harry Wai, a Year 4 epeeist on the HKBU team, shares a similar sentiment. “The students from Mainland China and the US are strong opponents, and they are also very friendly. After the game, we shared tips on honing our fencing skills and training routines. These exchanges give me new ideas for enhancing my own strengths,” he says.
For Year 2 foil fencer Brian Fung, the invitational provided him with an excellent avenue to experience a different culture. “I’m glad to have the chance to meet new friends and learn different techniques through this event. The athletes from other universities are open and approachable, and I’m interested to understand how they train and mentally prepare themselves for competitions,” he says.
The event concluded with a cultural enrichment tour, where HKBU students led visiting students on a tour around Hong Kong. Dr Hon Sze-sze, Lecturer I of the Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health, who coordinated the event, says: “HKBU not only encourages students’ active participation in athletic activities, but it also supports the development of their multicultural competence. The cultural enrichment tour aimed to provide visiting students with a deeper understanding of Hong Kong and an opportunity to experience the Hong Kong culture.”
In addition to HKBU, participating universities included Columbia University, Duke University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, Stanford University, Tsinghua University, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.
