Tribune News Network
Doha
The Qatar Fencing Federation is putting the final touches on its preparations to host the 21st edition of the Grand Prix Epee Fencing Championship, set to take place at Aspire from Friday to Sunday.
The prestigious event will bring together 440 elite fencers, including 247 men and 193 women, representing 56 nations. Among the participants are athletes from nine Arab countries: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Team Qatar will compete with ten athletes, featuring six men—Mesh’al Al Qahtani, Mohammed Khalifa Al Hazzaa, Mohammed Abdul Ali, Abdulrahman Al Jadra, Ali Al Khalif, and Youssef Abdul Tawab—and four women: Sheikha Jassim, Fatima Dhahi, Fatima Al Maadid, and Thikrayat Al Abdullah. A team of 20 referees will officiate the competition, including three from Qatar: Mohammed Basahal, Mohammed Al Mutairi, and Bashir Shurbaji.
The tournament offers a total prize pool of $22,000, with $5,000 awarded to the champion, $3,000 to the runner-up, and $1,500 each to the two athletes who share third place.
The action begins on Friday with the men’s preliminary rounds, followed by the Round of 128 and Round of 64. Saturday will see the start of the women’s competition, moving from preliminary rounds into the Round of 64.
The championship will conclude on Sunday with men’s matches progressing from the Round of 64 to the quarterfinals, alongside the women’s matches, which will also reach the quarterfinal stage. The evening will feature the semifinals and finals for both men and women, culminating in a medal ceremony to crown the champions.
This year’s edition promises fierce competition, with several world-class fencers set to participate. Leading the men’s field are Japan’s Koki Kano, ranked World No. 1, Hungary’s Gergely Siklosi, ranked World No. 2, and Egypt’s Mohamed Elsayed, ranked World No. 4.
On the women’s side, the competition includes Italy’s Giulia Rizzi, ranked World No. 3, Hungary’s Eszter Muhari, ranked World No. 4, South Korea’s Sera Song, ranked World No. 6, and Estonia’s Nelli Differt, also ranked World No. 6.
With a star-studded lineup and top-tier organization, the Grand Prix Qatar 2025 is set to reaffirm its status as one of the most prestigious events in the international fencing calendar.
