25 March 2011

Dundee fencing club accept the Hong Kong Challenge

Students from the University of Dundee will this evening jet out to Hong Kong to take part in an international fencing competition.

Thirteen members of the Dundee University Fencing Club were personally invited to take part by competition organiser Alexander Yeung. Alexander, a Hong Kong Fencing Federation representative, was himself a member of the club when he studied in Dundee.

They will compete in the Hong Kong Challenge alongside 35 other teams. The competition itself takes place on 3rd April, and the club will spend a total of 11 days in the Far East, where they will train with fencers from Hong Kong and sample the local culture.

On the actual day of the event, teams Scotland, Germany, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries will compete in the fencing disciplines of epee, sabre and foil.

The Dundee fencers are no strangers to competing abroad, as they have strong links with their sister club ETV in Hamburg, Germany. The opportunity to travel to Hong Kong saw students embark on a year-long fundraising campaign to raise the funds needed to undertake the trip.

'We are all very excited after all the effort the team have put into the fundraising attempt,' explained trip organiser Matt Pendleton. 'We have been fundraising for around a year now as we were desperate to accept this invite and take up this opportunity.'

The Dundee club also secured sponsorship from British Airwaves People Factor Consultants, an Aberdeen-based company, which has helped make it possible for the 13 members to take part in the exotic trip.

More information about the club can be found at www.dunifencing.co.uk/.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277