Paris 2024 Olympics: Hong Kong fencing team and its Olympic champion to train in Melun

Now it’s official. In the summer of 2024, the Hong Kong fencing team will arrive in Melun to prepare for the Olympic Games in Paris. Expecting perhaps South Korea near Fontainebleau, this is the first foreign delegation to formalize its visit to the Seine and Marne for the Olympics. The news was announced on Friday evening at the preamble to the grand opening of the Stars of Foil Festival, which took place at the Safran Museum in Réo. The competition continues this Saturday and Sunday at the Melun Tennis Club and also at the Armory.

Thus, in July 2024, the Asian team will use the services of the Cercle d’escrime de Melun Val de Seine at the Jacques-Marinelli complex, designated as the Games Preparation Center (CPJ). “Not all CPJs will get a team, but we will get one at the fencing club, which is a club of excellence,” Louis Vogel (Aguir), Mayor of Melun and President of Melun, proudly declared in front of 700 people. City of Val-de-Seine.

Hosted at the Residences du Château in Mei-sur-Seine.

Hong Kong fencers, which should be around ten depending on the number that can qualify, including reigning Olympic foil champion Ka-Long Chung, current world number 4, will be able to complete their training at the nearby Pacificlub, with special thanks to his gym. They will also be housed nearby at the Château residence in Me-sur-Seine. The deployment that the delegation on the move this weekend started to discover this Friday.

“At Pacificlub we can have a bite to eat, spend some time, organize meetings: everything suits us,” admits Gregory Koenig, (French) national coach of Hong Kong. As for the Résidences du Château, it is very pleasant, quiet, with very decent rooms. We’ll be fine there. The goal will be to arrive in France ten days before the start of the Games in order to recover from the jet lag, training and having optimal recovery conditions. We will spend a week here, and then we will go to the Olympic village, where we will live during the competition. »

Practices will be open to the public.

During the week of their presence, training sessions will be open to the public, but not as often. “Ka-Long Cheng is already in high demand in Hong Kong. He can’t walk comfortably, said the coach, who wants to keep him in his bubble to keep his title. We’re going to be open to young people from the city for about an hour and a half. We want to stay focused on the goal. »

If CE Melun Val de Seine is successful in Hong Kong, he owes a lot to Luc Montblanc, his Vice President. The latter picked up his phone and contacted Gregory Koenig, who knew Melun for having competed several times in the Challenge Revenu at the time, a foil competition that no longer exists. “We needed a nation that matched our reception capabilities because we only have 12 tracks. Hong Kong matched. The club is very pleased to be the vector of this rapprochement between the federation of Hong Kong and the agglomeration of Melun-Val-de-Seine. »

“Constructively, this is an ideal team if we want to put them in good conditions,” says Celine Liben, president of the club, in turn. His track record is significant. It’s not the biggest team. Also not the smallest. We are very happy to welcome Hong Kong. »