Nigeria’s rising fencing talents, Mahadi and Mahathir Idongesit, will be among the 60 competitors at this weekend’s International Fencing Federation (FIE) Junior Epee World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Originally slated for Lagos, the tournament was relocated to Uzbekistan after the Nigeria Fencing Federation opted to channel its resources toward hosting a befitting Commonwealth Championships in 2026.
The Idongesit brothers, who made their international debut for Nigeria at the 2025 African Championships in Lagos, are eager to test their skills against some of the world’s best. Mahadi currently holds a global ranking of 595, while Mahathir is placed at 608. Both will face stiff competition from highly-rated Egyptian stars, including world No. 4 Youssef Shamel and world No. 8 Eslam Osama.
The event will also feature fencers from Azerbaijan, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Chinese Taipei, and host nation Uzbekistan.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Adeyinka Samuel, President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, expressed optimism about Nigeria’s return to the international stage:
“We are excited that our fencers are back in action after months of inactivity, particularly with the return of fencing tournaments. We are confident that their participation will help them gain valuable experience ahead of the Commonwealth Championships. We hope more of our fencers will return to action and begin competing at top level, because they need these experiences to measure up against the rest of the Commonwealth nations in 2026.”
