British Fencing has announced that that this year’s Cadet and Junior GB Championships will be held at Medway Park on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 February.

This is the first time that this event has been held at Medway’s centre for sporting excellence and everyone is welcome to come and watch the event.

The Cadet category includes fencers aged between 13 and 17 and the junior fencers category includes fencers aged 13 to 20. All six weapons will be held on one day, with the cadets taking the stage on Saturday and the juniors on Sunday.

Last year just under 700 competitors took part in the championships and a similar number are expected to enter this year.

“Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Services Cllr Howard Doe said: Medway Park has already played host to several national sporting events, and in the wake of the success of the London Olympics we remain committed to bringing major sporting competitions to Medway.

“We’re delighted to welcome the Cadet and Junior British Fencing Championships for the first time, and I hope as many people as possible will take up this great opportunity to see some of Britain’s rising young fencing stars competing here”.

British Fencing’s Media Officer, Karim Bashir added: “We are really looking forward to working with a new venue. With targets focussed on increasing participation it is important that we spread our major events across the UK. Holding this event in Kent allows us to present our fantastic sport at the highest domestic level to an audience that may not have had a chance to see fencing up close before. Preparation for the event is going well and we wish all competitors the best of luck and welcome the opportunity to find new fans too.”

The event runs from 9am to 5.30pm each day and admission is free.

For more information visit www.medwaypark.org.uk