Germany’s Maurice Schmidt and Julius Haupt took part in bouts at the stand ©IWAS

Wheelchair fencing was presented to spectators at the International Fencing Federation (FIE) World Championships in Leipzig.

Arranged by the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Wheelchair Fencing Executive Committee, a stand was set-up to give spectators, athletes and coaches at the Championships a flavour of the Paralympic sport.

Germany’s Maurice Schmidt and Julius Haupt took part in live bouts in foil and sabre categories at the Arena Leipzig.

The pair were bronze medallists at the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing Under-17 and Under-23 World Championships.

The event was supported by several top fencers, including Hungary’s Aron Szilagyi and Inna Deriglazova and Yana Egoryan of Russia, who all won Olympic gold last year in Rio de Janeiro.

Japan's Yuki Ota and Germany’s Claudia Bokel, a former International Olympic Committee member, were also supporters of the event.

IWAS wheelchair fencing chairman Pal Szekeres and secretary general Udo Ziegler were present to help promote the stand, along with Ira Ziegler, head of the German wheelchair fencing team.

The stand was designed to give spectators, athletes and coaches at the Championships with a flavour of the sport ©IWAS
The stand was designed to give spectators, athletes and coaches at the Championships with a flavour of the sport ©IWAS

They thanked the German sport federations for their support, as well as the German Federation for Para-Sports.

Special thanks were also given to the German Fencing Federation, FIE and the Local Organising Committee.

The competition venue also played host to discussions from representatives from Tokyo 2020, who spoke with IWAS members.

This included Ksenia Ovsyannikova, head of the Promotion Commission, and members Lars Pickardt of Germany, Australia's Vincent Elias and the United States' Carl Borack.