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2026 Senior European Championships Antony

This page is intended for athletes and coaches attending the Senior European Championships 2026 in Antony, France, as well as for providing information to parents and coaches who will not be travelling.

Published: 27th April

Updates:
30th  April: Staffing list updated
1st May: Selection announcement published
15th May – final squad details updated.
18th May – final squad confirmed.

This page will be updated as soon as more information becomes available from the organisers — please check back for the latest updates.

We kindly ask that you check whether your question has already been addressed before contacting the team. Doing so helps reduce administrative overhead and supports us in keeping costs low for fencers.

Event Information:

Location: Antony, France.
Date: 16th – 21st June 2026

Information from the organisers

Competition website
Invitation from FIE

Immediate Actions:

  • Before reading this page ensure that you are familiar with how Major Events work if this is the first time you/your child has been selected for a major championship, please read this guide to Major Events first before accepting selection.
  • Please ensure you have a valid FIE Licence.
  • Please check that your passport is valid, with an expiry date at least three months beyond your planned departure date.
  • Ensure you have a valid anti-doping certificate on your membership record on Sport:80, without this you will not be able to accept the invite to the competition.

Next Steps:

  • Ensure you have completed your athlete bio form.
  • Travel and emergency information form must be completed by 2nd June 2026, please see below.

Selection Timeline

Key Dates for Selection

  • Friday 24th April 2026: Selection point (rankings and qualification standards frozen)
  • Wednesday 29 April to Friday 1 May 2026: Appeals window for any discrepancies in data.
  • Monday 4 May 2026: selection announcement (automatic qualifiers) subject to any appeals.
  • Monday 4 May 2026: Invites sent out to those selected.

*Please note: All dates listed in the selection timeline are indicative and subject to change. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, adjustments may occur without prior notice. Please refer to this page regularly for the most current information.

Staffing

BF Staff Team

Chef de Mission(s): Pat  AIYENURO
Team Manager: Sarah JONES
Physio: Tiziano STANDOLI

GBR Coaches

Épée Coaching Team : Pavel RYNES
Foil Coaching Team : Keith COOK
Sabre Coaching Team : Jon SALFIELD

Authorised Personal Coaches

Alex BELA
Ben PEGGS
Noah ROGERSON
Alberto BUZZONI
Ziemowit WOJCIECHOWSKI
Alex BELA
Peter BARWELL


(Coaches: please refer to the information section below for guidance on accreditation and requirements.)

FIE Officials & Referees

  • Jon Willis: DT
  • Georgina Usher: FIE Safeguarding Officer
  • Sam McLellan: Referee

Travel - Entry and Exit Points, Transfers and Emergency Travel Forms

Travel

Please read the generic instructions here.

Emergency Travel Form:

All athletes must complete the Travel and Emergency Information Form no later than 2nd June 2026

FIE Senior European Championship 2026 (Antony)

Arrival Requirements:

To optimise performance at Major Championships, all fencers must arrive by the designated entry point to allow sufficient time for preparation and orientations

To ensure sufficient event preparation and orientation time, the expected days before competition day would be one full day, plus the day of arrival for:

  • Recovery from travel
  • Venue familiarisation
  • Weapons control
  • Resolving any equipment issues
  • Final physical and mental preparations

Example:
Athletes scheduled to compete on Wednesday are required to check in at the hotel no later than Monday morning.

Entry and exit points will be updated once the competition schedule has been released.

Entry and Exit points for this competition: 

Travel Group Squad Entry Point Competition Start Date Exit Point
Group 1 Men’s Epee
Women’s Sabre		 14th June 2026 16th June 2026 20th June 2026
Group 2 Women’s Foil
Men’s Sabre		 15th June 2026 17th June 2026 21st June 2026
Group 3 Women’s Epee
Men’s Foil		 16th June 2026 18th June 2026 22nd June 2026

Example Travel Plan

  • 14/06/26 – Join the GBR Squad by 14:00 (team hotel)
  • 15/06/26 – Preparation day
  • 16/06/26 – Individual competition
  • 17/06/26 – Recovery day
  • 19/06/26 – Team event
  • 20/06/26 – Depart the GBR Squad by 11:00

Transfers

No official transfers included.

As the taxi service, Bolt provides value for money and readily available, please utilise this and other taxi services to the team hotel.

Visas

UK passport holders  https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements You can travel without a visa to the Schengen area, which includes France, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period

BF Travel Guide – Antony

Please also see Eurostar information

When booking flights or international trains/ferries, please bear in mind the need for appropriate travel insurance to cover any changes or cancellations.

Team Hotel

Appart Hotel Residhome, Massy
Address – 7 Rue Christophe Colomb, 91300 Massy

British Fencing has made advance hotel bookings for athletes and designated support staff only.

Personal coaches must book their own rooms at the same hotel.
Please note: Family members are not permitted to stay in the team hotel.

Accommodation will consist of 6 nights in twin rooms, aligned with the group’s entry and exit points.

Accommodation Dates by Group

Group Stay Duration
Group 1  14th June 2026 to midday 20th June 2026
Group 2  15th June 2026 to midday 21st June 2026
Group 3  16th June 2026 to midday 22nd June 2026
Kindly refer to the Entry and Exit points listed above to identify your group.

Additional Nights

Fencers who plan to arrive earlier or depart later than the scheduled dates must arrange and fund their own accommodation.
BF is unable to provide additional nights outside the official entry and exit points.

Hotel Rates

All hotel rates per athlete are a total of £546 for the tournament including breakfast. Rates apply only to stays within the designated entry and exit dates.

Costs and Subsidy

Anticipated Costs (subject to confirmation)

  • Entry Fees: £210 (being £140 per athlete for the individual event and £70 per athlete for the team event)
  • Hotel Costs: £546 per athlete for 6 nights (twin room)
  • In-Event Support Staff Contribution: £100 per athlete
  • Back Office Administration: £31
  • Media Services: £31 (Includes in-event photography & Images licensed for personal use)

BR Pathway Subsidy

The GBR Pathway Programme will subsidise athlete costs for the European Championships, contributing toward:

  • Chef de Mission support
  • Designated support staff
  • Coaching provision
  • Athlete well-being services (sports science & medicine)
  • Performance Coaching Support (Fully covered by British Fencing using a dedicated coach development budget)

Means-Tested Support

Means-tested grants are available for athletes who would not be able to attend without financial assistance.
For more information, please contact: gbr_support@britishfencing.com

Please note:
Athletes whose families plan to travel to the event or who are paying for personal coaches are not eligible for grants.

Selection and Confirmed Squad

SENIOR EUROPEAN FINAL SELECTION SQUAD:

SENIORS
Women’s Epee Men’s Epee Women’s Foil  Men’s Foil  Women’s Sabre Men’s Sabre
Susan Maria SICA Cador BEAUTYMAN Amelie TSANG Jaimie COOK Caitlin MAXWELL Barnaby HALLIWELL
Danielle LAWSON William EAST Zoe WAGSTAFF David SOSNOV Maria CHART JJ WEBB
Sophie PEAT James JEAL Katie CASTILLO-BERNAUS Harry BIRD Keira DONNELLY-SALLOWS William DEARY
Alexandra POWELL Benjamin ANDREWS Megan ELLIOTT Joe DONAGHUE Hui Xin SEZILLE Samuel ALLEN

Official Tracksuit and Patches

Tracksuits

We will contact athletes who do not already have the official tracksuit required for the 2026 Senior European Championships to arrange their kit order.

More information about which tracksuit you need and how to order additional kit here. 

Full GBR kit is required so please ensure you have the BF T-shirt, BF track bottoms or track pants and a Championship track top.

Under FIE regulations, the Official National Tracksuit must be worn in full—both jacket and trousers—on all podiums.Club tracksuits, cycling shorts, leggings, or other non-official items are not permitted.

GBR Patches

Athletes are responsible for ensuring that:

  • Their fencing kit features the correct GBR patches, and
  • All equipment complies with FIE standards.

Under the terms of the Leon Paul sponsorship agreement, all competing athletes are required to wear a Leon Paul logo on their kit.

Athletes must also ensure that any additional sponsor logos comply with the FIE Publicity Code., including correct placement and sizing.

For full guidance, please see the GBR logos and patches instructions here.

For more information read the GBR logos and patches instructions here.

Authorised Personal Coaches - Deadline: Monday 1st June 2026

Personal Coaches Accreditation: deadline for applications Monday 1st June 2026

Form to request accreditation 

Requirements for Personal Coaches wishing to be accredited at Major Events

All coaches must abide by the relevant BF policies, including the GBR Coaches Policy these include (this is not an exhaustive list please click on the links for more information):

  • being on the Coach Register (UK) or the Coach Register (Overseas) 
  • having completed the UKAD Anti-Doping course and uploaded the certificate to Sport 80
  • holding a valid FIE Licence.
  • consistently demonstrating suitable coaching behaviours and are not currently being investigated
  • having an up-to-date Coach Health Check – Personal Development Plan
  • being the coach of a fencer in selection places 1-4
  • being the coach of an athlete that has met the qualification standard for selection

Where there is a limit to the number of personal coaches that will be accredited priority will be given to personal coaches that have a evidential track record of positive engagement and collaboration with BF support staff /other GBR coaches and whose athletes are on a trajectory to medal success.

All coaches must abide by the relevant BF policies (including the GBR Coaches Policy) and codes of conduct, including the GBR Coaches Code of Conduct.

Discipline and Behaviour

Code of conduct:

By accepting selection to represent GBR at any European and World Championships, you have already agreed to the BF Codes of Conduct – which includes the generic BF Code of Conduct, the Code of Conduct for Youth Events and the GBR Athlete Code of Conduct.

Please act responsibly and sensibly, and understand that we are one collective team. Respect and support for your fellow team members is expected and reasonable.

Every squad member is supported by public funding and is expected to behave in a way that recognises the responsibility that this brings. Funding to compete (whether from public or private sources) is not an entitlement, and we owe it to everyone who contributes to our participation to act as professionals and role models for our sport.

As a reminder, Senior European Championships events are alcohol-free for the entire duration of the stay, and any athlete consuming alcohol should expect to serve a ban in accordance with the published sanctions. They may also be sent home from the event, be withdrawn from any remaining events and be liable for all arising costs. Parents and Personal Coaches attending events are expected to support athletes and are respectfully requested to refrain from consuming alcohol if they are in the company of athletes.

Any breach of the BF Code of Conduct may also result in fines equivalent to any athlete subsidy paid by BF.

Anti-Doping

Anti-Doping:

Please note: There will be testing at the event.

Athletes must have a valid anti-doping certificate on their membership record on Sport:80, without this they will not be able to accept the invite to the competition.

If you have not already got a valid certificate on Sport:80, you should do this now, see the instructions below:-

Be aware of Strict Liability – an athlete is solely responsible for any banned substance they use, attempt to use, or that is found in their system, regardless of how it got there and whether or not they had an intention to cheat

Please see the British Fencing anti-doping page at https://www.britishfencing.com/policy-zone/anti-doping/

Athletes are solely responsible for any banned substance they use, attempt to use, or that is found in their system, regardless of how it got there and whether or not they had an intention to cheat. Athletes must:

For any questions about the anti-doping and education requirements, please ask Neil Brown neil.brown@britishfencing.com

Please ensure you have met the relevant Athlete, Coach, Parent/Supporter Training mandatory requirements. 

Safeguarding

There will be EFC Safeguarding Officers at the event and the FIE Safeguarding policy and the EFC Safeguarding Code of Conduct will be in place for all participants.

BF welfare policies and codes of conduct apply to athletes, coaches, parents and supporters associated with the GBR team.

There will also be mandatory training (which includes specific training on the FIE safeguarding policy) for all those selected and those that intend to accompany them.

More details here.

Communications, Social Media and Cyber Security

Communications & Social Media:

During the event:

  • Athletes selected for major championships are encouraged to use official British Fencing hashtags such as #GBRFencing on all social posts.
  • Athletes, parents, and coaches should share their journey and experiences of major competitions to promote engagement and community spirit.
  • All social media content relating to this competition must comply with the British Fencing Code of Conduct. Ensure that all images—including fencing, warm-ups, and coaching—reflect best practice in terms of conduct and safety.
  • When taking podium or group photos, please ensure everyone in the photo is looking at the camera for clarity and professionalism.
  • Athletes who make the podium will be expected to provide a short quote prior to the medal presentation to help the BF media team celebrate the result promptly.
  • Media contact during the event should go through your team staff or the designated BF media team to avoid distractions.
  • In case of any issues, crisis management will be handled by team staff as the main point of contact.

After the Event

  • Upload approved images to British Fencings Digital Portal following British Fencing’s imagery guidelines.
  • Submit your event report according to the official reporting policy.
  • If relevant, provide content for the Sword edition, including reports and imagery.

Cyber Security:

Please visit the British Fencing Cyber Security page for advice on keeping your personal information safe while travelling abroad for fencing. Key tips include using strong passwords, limiting sensitive data on devices, and following BF’s digital security guidance.

Further Information

If you cannot find the information you need on this page, please submit any questions to us at gbr_support@britishfencing.com, and a member of the GBR Support team will respond to you. Please note that we cannot reply to all emails personally, but we will update this page to answer the most common queries we receive.

Supporters and Parents

Please read the Supporters and Parents Section of the Major Events Guide

Last updated 1 Jun 2026