Iranian fencers endure poor outings at FIE World Cup events
Iranian epee and foil fencers delivered disappointing results at the latest FIE World Cup events in Fujairah and Paris, indicating that significant work is needed before expecting notable achievements on the global stage.
The second World Cup event of the international season in Fujairah earlier this month marked Iran’s return to top-level epee competition after a long absence. However, all Iranian competitors suffered early exits in the pool phase of both the men’s and women’s individual events.
In the women’s division, Reihaneh Rezaei, Sara Seyyed-Rezaei, and Fatemeh Khorasani each finished with two wins and four losses. The Iranian women’s team was defeated 45-12 by the United States in the first round, finishing second-last among 29 teams.
In the men’s individual event, Mohammad Rahimi and Ali Namazi each suffered four defeats in six bouts, while Behnam Beik failed to record a single victory in the pool phase. The Iranian men’s team was also eliminated in the first round after a 45-22 loss to Japan.
Following the UAE event, the Foil World Cup in Paris saw Iran represented by Mahan Mirzaei in the men’s draw. The Iranian’s campaign also ended early in the pool phase after six consecutive defeats.
Given these results, it remains to be seen whether the National Olympic Committee of Iran will allocate quotas for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games to the epee and foil disciplines. The Games are scheduled to begin on September 19 in Japan.
While foil is unlikely to secure a spot in the Iranian delegation, epee may still have a slight chance of obtaining a quota for the multi-sport event.