Days after the World Fencing League (WFL) said it would start its 2027 season in Hong Kong, the sport’s world governing body has warned athletes and officials against taking part in unauthorised events

In an official statement released on Thursday, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) said the league was not an official competition and it had not sanctioned any of its proposed tournaments.

Signed by FIE secretary general Gulnora Saidova, the statement also pointed to the federation’s statutes that forbid fencers from competing in unofficial events, with international bans among the punishments available to the governing body.

Saidova’s letter could set her on a collision course with some of the most influential people in the sport, with FIE vice-president Donald Anthony Jnr, and Hong Kong fencing chief Antonio Lam Hin-chung both backing the league, which held its inaugural event in Los Angeles.

The brainchild of Miles Chamley-Watson, April’s US event attracted 12 fencers from eight countries and regions, including Hong Kong’s Ryan Choi Chun-yin, plus a host of A-list celebrities.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post during the World Fencing Championships in Hong Kong in July, Anthony Jnr said the WFL probably hoped it would “be able to continue to move forward”.

“I think the FIE is going to move forward as fast,” he added. “I see this growing the sport and working together to build fencing to be the best sport you could possibly be.”

The American official said the existence of private leagues could be a good thing for the sport, depending on “how it’s done”.

“If it’s done in the right way, then it’s a great thing you do, because we need as much visibility as possible,” he said. “It’s like those organisations that have professionals, and they work together, and they work under the International Olympic Committee, FIE, and they’re all working together. They’re very successful.

“Look at Fifa. Look at Fiba with the NBA. That is a working model when you’ve seen it work. So if it’s done correctly, it’s good for the whole sport. And they can coexist.

“They should be able to coexist as long as they do the right thing. I don’t see any professional sports not existing when they’re done correctly.”

Hong Kong fencing bosses, meanwhile, said while they had no official role in next year’s competition, they also had no objections to it taking place.

“From our perspective, this kind of event is going to help promote the sport of fencing, so we welcome it, as long as it is nicely and neatly organised,” said Lam, the general secretary of the Fencing Association of Hong Kong, China, said.

That feeling was echoed by the city’s foil head coach Greg Koenig, who earlier this year called the league a “positive move” for the sport.

As part of the move to drum up interest in the WFL, two-time Olympic champion Cheung Ka-long, compatriot Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan, WFL founder and decorated American foilist Chamley-Watson, and French sabreist Sebastien Patrice are expected to take part in an exclusive invitational exhibition in Hong Kong in January.

Zhen Renteo, the league’s CEO, said Los Angeles had proved there was a demand for “fencing presented this way”, while starting the new season in Hong Kong was “a statement about where the future of fencing is heading”.

“Seeing Ryan Choi win in LA in front of that crowd told us exactly where we needed to go next,” Chamley-Watson added. “We’re not creating a moment, we’re creating a legacy and Hong Kong is the next chapter.”

It is not the first time a commercial league has clashed with a sport’s world governing body.

In 2018, the International Swimming League (ISL) claimed Fina, now World Aquatics, had led a boycott of its event, forcing its cancellation.

Earlier this year, the ISL was awarded a US$1 settlement in a US lawsuit over anti-trust issues, having claimed anti-competitive behaviour by the global governing body damaged its business interests. It had been asking for US$41 million in damages.

The ISL is expected to return in December, with an all-star exhibition event at the London Aquatics Centre.