You could say Indian fencing has been given a good word from the top. “We can get those Asian Games medals,” says Kiren Rijiju, and he is confident we will be in Los Angeles in 2028. Put simply, he thinks if we stand behind the sport now, it is ready to make its mark.
Rijiju puts a number on the goal
The former Sports Minister has no doubt that what we have in store will translate to podiums at the next Asian Games. As for the Olympics, he figures two to four of our lads and lasses can put their names down for 2028, given how they are training and performing these days. He was at the wrap-up of the Asian Fencing Championships on Wednesday to put a point across: this is where the discipline should be heading after we gave it the kind of priority it needed when I was in office.
Making the most of the moment
Rijiju sees the close calls as a good thing. He pointed out that a few of our athletes were only a point or two away, which is a sign you are in the mix, not of any letdown. That kind of energy, in his view, is what you need to put into making the sport more of a presence. Get the base right and you will have the kind of pipeline that can put you over the line on the world stage.
There are 12 to be had
When you look at the numbers, there is 12 gold on the table in foil, epee and sabre. Rijiju is of the opinion that if you put it in front of them, young Indians will find it as compelling as he does.
Let the hosting do the talking
Putting on the Asian Fencing Championships isn’t for show, he says. It is about showing we can organise and that the fans are there for it. Down the road, we can even be the ones to host the world championship. In a way, being the host is what gets things going. More home events means more people want to get involved, and you start to build the sort of environment where you can keep your medal streaks alive.
A test in Aichi Nagoya
Right now, all eyes are on the Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya from September 19 to October 4. Rijiju is counting on our fencers to come out with some hardware and make the progress we have seen count for something. It is a matter of depth and nerve. You take those one or two points and make them into a win, and you put India in a position of respect in Asia.
Where the government stands on who makes the cut
Then there is the question of selection. On the Manika Batra situation and her being left out of the Asian Games, he was firm: we don’t meddle in how federations run their house.
She didn’t tick the boxes set by the Table Tennis Federation of India, namely in national events. She has asked for some clarity and is calling for the process to be open and fair.
“We can put in a good word for our athletes and for the game,” Rijiju says, but the final call on who goes is up to the federation.
Reading between the lines
If you put it together, you have a drive for results in the near term, a plan for 2028, and an overall desire to bring fencing to the fore. He is asking for the means to do it because he feels we are not far off.
What you have from Rijiju is this: – Medals at the Asian Games are well within our grasp
His line of thinking is not complicated: put on the shows, put the sport out there, and go for it. If you can close the gap, you turn a one-point difference into a medal, and you make fencing something of a force in this country.
