Fencing is gaining momentum in Penang, with two state-level competition series drawing hundreds of participants and pushing the sport closer to mainstream recognition.
The Penang Amateur Fencing Association (PAFA) has run two parallel competition circuits this year: the Penang Inter-School Talent Empowerment (PISTE) Series for school-age fencers and the Penang Fencing Championship (PFC) for under-10 to senior-level athletes. Together, they have attracted 383 participants across four events since March, according to Buletin Mutiara.
The PISTE Series recorded 118 participations in its first leg on 21 and 22 March, followed by 116 in the second leg on 23 and 24 May. The PFC drew 46 participants on 18 April and 103 at its second edition at Sunshine Central on 20 and 21 June.
Both circuits feature foil, epee and sabre in individual and team events.
The competitions have also established a points-based ranking system, introduced this year on a six-month rolling basis. While the rankings came too late for Sukma 2026, they will form the basis for state selection at Sukma 2028 and determine eligibility for the Program Bakat Khas in collaboration with the Penang State Sports Council.
PAFA vice-president Kenny Cheah said entry fees from the competitions enabled the association to sponsor RM30,500 in new equipment for nine Penang Sukma fencers. The funds also supported four coaching candidates with a combined RM2,000 contribution towards the JK Fencing Camp, where they trained under coaches from Club Scherma Pisa Antonio Di Ciolo, a renowned Italian club that has produced world champions.
Cheah, who founded the Fencing Zone club in 2023, has been a driving force behind the sport’s growth in Penang. He started fencing at 12, competed at national level in Sukma 2008, and represented Malaysia at the Junior Commonwealth Under-21 Fencing Championships and the Southeast Asia Fencing Federation Games.
“It fills the heart to see fencing growing across the state and changing the lives of fencers in remarkable ways,” he said. “All this is made possible thanks to the support from parents, fencers and, not forgetting, PAFA committee members who have dedicated their personal time to building the fencing ecosystem in Penang, piece by piece.”
Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid officiated the second PISTE competition and contributed RM2,500. PAFA also received RM10,000 from the Youth and Sports Ministry through the Dana Sukan Komuniti grant, which funded the second PFC at Sunshine Central.
Both series will culminate in season finales at 1st Avenue Mall, with the PISTE Finale on 10 and 11 September, followed by the PFC Finale on 12 and 13 September.
Looking ahead, PAFA plans to roll out talent identification programmes from early 2027 to develop a structured state fencing programme involving schools across Penang. Registration for the finales remains open, and Cheah has invited corporate brands to come on board as partners.
