Nigeria’s young fencing stars, Mahadi and Mahathir Idongesit, will represent the country at the International Fencing Federation Junior Epee World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, this weekend. The event will host about 60 competitors from top fencing nations across the world.
The tournament was initially scheduled for Lagos but was moved to Uzbekistan after the Nigeria Fencing Federation decided to focus its resources on hosting a successful Commonwealth Championships in 2026.
The Idongesit brothers made their international debut earlier this year at the 2025 African Championships in Lagos and are eager to build on that experience. Mahadi enters the competition ranked 595 in the world, while Mahathir sits at 608. They will face strong competition from leading Egyptian fencers, including world No. 4 Youssef Shamel and world No. 8 Eslam Osama.
Other participating nations include Azerbaijan, Greece, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Chinese Taipei, Saudi Arabia, and hosts Uzbekistan.
Nigeria Fencing Federation President Adeyinka Samuel expressed confidence in the team’s progress, noting that returning to international tournaments is crucial for development ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Championships.
At the African Championships, both brothers advanced from their pools before exiting in the knockout rounds, with Mahathir narrowly losing to world junior champion Mahmoud El-Sayed. Their sister, Sara Idongesit, was also part of Nigeria’s women’s epee team that defeated Benin Republic 45–40 to finish fifth.
The federation hopes the Uzbekistan outing boosts the fencers’ confidence and prepares them for bigger international challenges.
