Fencing

Fencing is a sport that combines martial arts with the use of cold sports weapons (rapier, espadron, sword, bayonet). In 1917, fencing was included as a compulsory subject in the pre-conscription training program. Fencing clubs appeared in the late 1920s in military units as a means of physical training. After the disbandment of the General Education, only individual amateurs are engaged in fencing in Belarus. The lack of equipment and qualified coaches delayed the development of sports fencing in the republic.

In 1928, Belarusian fencers took part in the 1st All-Union Spartakiad. In 1929, fencing appeared as an academic subject in the program of the Minsk College of Physical Culture. However, the widespread use of sports fencing in Belarus was not observed during this period. They begin to get acquainted with fencing, but there is no serious passion for this sport.

In 1937, the Belarusian State Order-bearing Institute of Physical Culture was established. Fencing becomes programmatic in it. The first teachers of fencing and hand-to-hand combat were: S.A. Vasiliev, S.I. Kudryavtsev, Ya.A. Ermakov, V.I. Zhilinsky. For the first time, work is being carried out among children at the Minsk Palace of Pioneers. The organizer and coach of the first Belarusian fencing sports group was S.I. Kudryavtsev.

Since 1938, competitions for the championship of Minsk have been held, in which IFC students also participate. In 1941, the personal team championship of Belarus was held, in which 59 people took part. Women did not compete in competitions due to unpreparedness. Competitions were held in fencing with sabers, rapiers and carbines with an elastic bayonet.

N. Dyatkov won the title of champions of the republic in fencing with rapiers and sabers, and N. Sorokin, a teacher at the IFK, won the carbine. Despite the fact that in 1938-1941 there was some revival in fencing, it still did not receive mass distribution, and the war that began in 1941 stopped all work on the development of the sport in Belarus.

After the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, along with other sports, fencing began to develop in the republic. Minsk becomes the center of all work. In the BGOIFK, a significant number of hours are allocated to fencing and hand-to-hand combat according to the program. But mostly these watches are used for hand-to-hand combat and overcoming obstacle courses.

In 1946, K.T. Bulochko, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR with his wife Valentina Bulochko, came to work at the institute. On his initiative, an active fencers was created in Minsk, the city and later the republican fencing section were organized. Sports fencing is beginning to be practiced in the BGOIFK, in the Dynamo sports society. Fencing demonstrations are held in schools, enterprises, and parks. On July 15, 1946, the first classification competitions were held in Minsk. The winner was V. Efimova. 8 people fulfilled the standard of the Sh category. In the same year, 1946, the future Honored Coach of the USSR, German Matveyevich Bokun, organizes fencing work among children of Minsk, combining this work with studying at the institute and intensive training.

In 1946, the fencers of the BSSR took part in the championship of the Soviet Union for the first time. The team consisted of students and teachers of the IFK (Belyakov, Nevrovsky, Verigo, Efimova, Morozova, K. Bulochko, V. Bulochko) took 9th place.

In 1947, the young team of the IFK was replenished with another strong fencer, Larisa Petrovna Boldyreva (Bokun), a graduate of the Moscow IFK, a student of the Honored Master of Sports of the USSR V.A. Arkadiev.

In 1947, the BSSR team, speaking at the USSR championship, took 5th place, and the women’s team consisting of V. Bulochko, L. Boldyreva, V. Efimova won the title of champions of the Soviet Union. In 1947, the first post-war and second BSSR championship was held. The champions were: A.A. Ovsyankin (rapier-men), V.G. Bulochko (rapier-women), G.M. Bokun (saber), Yu.V. Dexbach (sword).

Since 1947, fencing has been developing in Brest, Gomel, Vitebsk, Grodno, Minsk – universities (BSU, medical and polytechnic institutes), DSO “Trud”, “Dynamo”, the District House of Officers, and since 1948 in Mogilev, Polotsk, Baranovichi and Bobruisk.

In 1948, 10 teams took part in the competitions at the All-Belarusian Spartakiad: 9 from the regions and one from Minsk. Teams from Mogilev, Polotsk and Pinsk regions (according to the then administrative division) did not participate. The youth national team of the BSSR takes part in the USSR youth championship for the first time, prepared by coach Bokun G.M. and takes 4th place.

In 1949, the department of BGOIFK produced the first graduation of fencing specialists: A. Nevrovsky, V. Khrenov, M. Babulina, B. Belyakov, V. Efimova, M. Oskerko, V. Verigo, N. Morozova, A. Bartashevich, who were sent to the regions of the republic, to higher educational institutions and joined the work on the development of fencing in the republic. The fencers of the republic began to take part in match meetings, interdepartmental competitions and championships of the Soviet Union. At that time, the republic already numbered: Honored Master of Sports of the USSR – 1 person (K. Bulochko); Masters of Sports of the USSR – 3 people (V. Bulochko, L. Boldyreva, R. Zakharov; 1st category – 9 people; N category – 13 people; W category – 19 people. Along with the growth of the sports skills of Belarusian fencers, there is also an increase in the number of those involved in youth sections. The sports press of the USSR is also starting to write about Belarusian fencers. The newspaper “Soviet Sport” No. 119 dated 10/20/1949 notes that together with the new champions of the Soviet Union, young talented athletes are also being identified, including Belarusian fencers: G. Bokun, A. Ovsyankin, Y. Dexbach, L. Voblikov. In 1950, two more fencers fulfilled the standard of the Master of sports of the USSR (A. Ovsyankin, A. Razzhivin).

In 1951, sports sections were already operating in 9 youth schools in Belarus: Minsk, Brest, Gomel, Vitebsk-2, Rechitsa, Baranovichi, Kolbony, Mozyr). The number of students in the BSSR reaches 1089 people, 505 of them are dischargers.

In 1951, the Soviet Olympic Committee became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), fencers are intensively preparing for the X Olympic Games. Among the candidates for the USSR national team: G. Bokun, A. Ovsyankin, L. Voblikov, Y. Dexbach. In the same year, as part of the USSR national team, Belarusian fencers G. Bokun and Y. Dexbach went to competitions in Budapest, Hungary and, following the results of the competition, were included in the final composition of the USSR Olympic team. In 1952, at the X Olympic Games, due to the lack of international experience, G. Bokun fenced until the 1st final, Yu. Dexbach was eliminated from the preliminaries. In 1953, Bokun won a silver medal at the USSR Championship.

In 1954, at the USSR championship, the title of champion was won by: G. Bokun, A. Ovsyankin, A. Razzhivin (rapier), A. Chernushevich (sword), and on rapiers among girls the future world champion, Olympic Games Tatyana Petrenko (Samusenko). In 1955, 6 Belarusian athletes were included in the USSR national team (Yu. Dexbach, A. Chernushevich, A. Pavlovsky, M. Botvinnik, I. Smushkevich, A. Ovsyankin). In 1956, participating in the 1st Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, a team of skewers (Y. Dexbach, M. Botvinnik, A. Chernushevich, A. Pavlovsky) won the title of champions of the USSR, and the national team of Belarus took 4th place. Two Belarusian athletes A. Chernushevich and A. Ovsyankin participated in the X1 Olympic Games, who took 6th place in the team. G. Bokun traveled as a senior coach of the team of skewers, Y. Dexbach – a master of arms.

In 1957, at the International Friendly Games in Moscow, A. Pavlovsky won a bronze medal. In the same year, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, G. Bokun was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor, A. Chernushevich the medal “For Labor Valor”.

In 1958, the first International meeting of the BSSR-Poland took place in Minsk. Polish athletes have already had experience of international meetings in comparison with us, but in a stubborn struggle the meeting ended in a draw. As a sign of encouragement, the All-Union Fencing Federation allocated 4 places to Belarusian athletes to participate in International competitions in Leipzig, Germany. As a result, A. Chernushevich – 1st place, A. Pavlovsky (both swords) – 3rd place, T. Petrenko – 5th place, A. Ivashina (both rapiers) – 6th place. At the World Cup (Philadelphia). And Chernushevich (sword) won the bronze medal.

In 1960, the city, regional and republican fencing federations were established.

Alexandr Axenov of Kazakhstan competes against Park Kyoung Doo of South Korea in the Men’s Team Epee Final of the fencing at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou on November 21, 2010. AFP PHOTO/MIKE CLARKE

Фехтовальщики во время акции «Искусство фехтования: от средневековья к современности», во Львове, во вторник, 30 августа 2011 г. 10-18 сентября во Львове состоится Неделя фехтования. Спортивную акцию представили в этот день уличным представлением – более 80 фехтовальщиков продемонстрировали на пл. Рынок свое умение борьбы на шпагах. Представление началось с битвы средневековых рыцарей в тяжелых доспехах. Далее соревновались современные фехтовальщики. Особенно зрелищным был групповой бой, когда одновременно фехтовали более 25 пар. В рамках Недели фехтования во Львове состоится серия мастер-классов для детей. Завершит Неделю фехтования международный турнир «Галицкая осень». Фото УНИАН

Belarus’s Aliaksandr Buikevich (L) fences against Romania’s Rares Dumitrescu during their Men’s Sabre fencing bout as part of the London 2012 Olympic games, on July 29, 2012 at the ExCel centre in London. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/GettyImages)

NGO “Belarusian Fencing Federation”
Registration in the Ministry of Justice: 27.07.1999 No. 00216
Chairman of the Federation: Romankov Alexander Anatolyevich
Year of election: 2005
Address: 220012 Minsk, Fabriciusa St. 24/a.
Tel/Fax: +375 (17) 310-34-18
E-mail: info@fencing.by
Website: http://www.fencing.by

Minsk city organization of the NGO “Belarusian Fencing Federation”
Telephone: +375 (17) 212-99-17
Address: st. V. Khoruzhey, 13/61
Chairman: Dyumin Igor Mikhailovich

Specialized educational and sports institutions that develop fencing in Minsk

Sports school No. 2 “Dynamo”
Address: Minsk, Daumana 23.
Types of weapons: Rapier, Epee.
School Director: Krashevsky Anatoly Mikhailovich
Phone: +375 (17) 334-58-04

THE SCHOOL OF “TRADE UNIONS”
Address: Kalinovskogo 55, Annex to the former cinema “Vilnius”
Types of weapons: Rapier, Epee, Sabre.
School director: Zubyuk Sergey Denisovich
Phone: +375 (17) 281-34-08

BSUFC is a fitness fencing section.
Address: 107a Pobediteley Ave.
Weapons: Foil, Epee, Sabre
Head coach: Irina Vasilievna Ushakova

School No. 101 fencing section
Address: Zhukov Avenue 27
Types of weapons: Rapier.
School Director: Levkovets Irina Vladimirovna
Phone: +375 (17) 208-59-42

Paralympic Fencing Section
Address: ul. Geroev 120 divizii, 11
Minsk region
Coach: Dmitry Andreev
Phone: +375 (29) 648-22-47

“Sports Committee of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus”
Address: Nezavisimosti Ave. 196
Types of weapons: Rapier, Epee, Sabre.
Phone: +375 (17) 266-59-32