SEP 2026: FOUR BRITISH REFEREES ACHIEVE FIE LICENCES IN TIRRENIA

GBR referees Ogden, Cowan, Gosling and Blackmore passed their FIE referee examinations held in Tirrenia, Pisa, Italy, on 17th-20th September 2026. Three of the referees were awarded their first FIE refereeing licence in foil (Cowan), sabre (Gosling) and epee (Blackmore) with Ogden adding a second FIE weapon (foil) to his existing sabre licence.

Four British referees successfully obtained FIE referee licences at the recent examination in Tirrenia, Pisa, Italy, held from 17 – 20 September 2026, resulting in new international qualifications for referees across foil, sabre and epee disciplines.

The successful referees were:

Sam Ogden (Foil) – adding a foil FIE licence to his existing FIE sabre licence.
Benedict Cowan (Foil)
Louis Gosling (Sabre)
Noah Blackmore (Epee)

Benedict Cowan said:

“I’m incredibly grateful to the FIE for placing their trust in me and awarding me my FIE referee licence. This is a huge recognition of the hard work and commitment I have put into refereeing, and a milestone I’m incredibly proud to have reached.

“I’m also grateful for the invaluable opportunities, experiences and support provided to me by the BF pathway programme.

“A special thank you to Euan, Tori and Luke, who have spent countless hours preparing and supporting me, and to Egham Fencing Club, where I first started refereeing and was taken under their wing.

“I achieve this licence knowing it is only the first step, and I’m excited for the challenges ahead.”

Benedict Cowan referees at the West Coast Challenge.

Sam Ogden said:

“I am again very grateful to the FIE for the opportunity this represents. Achieving a second licence would have been impossible without the support of my colleagues and the BF Referee Pathway Programme, and I am grateful to everyone who has helped me on this journey.

“I look forward to the new challenges and hope to continue to represent British Fencing internationally with pride.”

Louis Gosling said:

“Wow, what a feeling! It’s an absolute honour to be recognised by the FIE for this milestone in my refereeing career.

“I’ve been fortunate to have the support of so many people within British Fencing, but special mention should go to, in no particular order, the fab trio of Mike Selig, Sam McLellan and Sam Ogden. Without their support this really wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you all, it means so much!”

Noah Blackmore said:

“I am incredibly happy to have achieved my FIE licence in epee in Tirrenia this weekend. I am immensely grateful for the support received from BF through the Referee Pathway Programme since the early days of my refereeing journey, and from my mentors and colleagues at home and abroad.

“Thanks also to the EFC and the FIE for their support and the trust they have placed in me, which, along with the trust of the athletes themselves, I look forward to repaying with hard work and continued development over the next steps of my refereeing journey.”

The achievement represents an important milestone for each referee and further strengthens the presence of British officials within the international refereeing community across all three weapons.

BF Head of Workforce, Chris Turner, commented:

“Congratulations to Sam, Benedict, Louis and Noah on their achievement which is testament to the work they have put in over many years. It’s fantastic to see their dedication to refereeing acknowledged with this significant milestone in their referee journey. Their achievements also recognise the strength of the GBR Referee Pathway Programme which has an aim to increase the number of GBR referees able to referee internationally. All four referees have been supported by the programme and I extend our sincere thanks to the mentors who have supported and guided Sam, Louis, Benedict and Noah, and BF staff who have worked behind the scenes arranging logistics.”

Recently, BF, working with the Referee Advisory Group have updated the referee pathway providing progressive route from starting a referee journey to the highest levels internationally. More information can be found on the Referee Zone