KUWAIT CITY, June 22: The second day of the Asian Fencing Championship Kuwait - 2024 for men and women kicks off at 3 pm today, Sunday, in Hall No. 4 at the International Fairgrounds in the Mishrif area. Youssef Al-Shamlan will face Kazakhstan's Artem Sarkeezy in the final qualifiers of the round of 16 in the saber category.

There are high hopes that Al-Shamlan will continue his impressive journey to the tournament final and secure a podium finish, given his outstanding performance in the preliminary qualifiers.

Youssef Al-Shamlan is regarded as one of the top contenders for the championship title, alongside competitors from Japan, South Korea, China, Kazakhstan, and Hong Kong. This tournament is crucial for gaining points to improve players' rankings in the International Federation of Fencing and is ideally timed for preparation ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics next July.

The final qualifiers for the women's epee category start at 11 am, featuring teams from Uzbekistan, Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Kazakhstan.

All semi-final and final matches for both men and women in saber, epee, and foil will take place at 5:00 pm, followed by the awarding ceremony.

Hamad Al-Awadhi, Secretary of the Kuwaiti Fencing Association and Director General of the Kuwait Asian Championship - 2024, confirmed that the first day of the tournament saw strong competitions in men's saber and women's epee, highlighting the close technical level among players, especially those qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics from Japan, China, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Hong Kong.

Al-Awadhi added that Youssef Al-Shamlan reached the round of 16 in the saber category, and expressed hope that he will continue to advance and achieve a podium finish.

The new logo of the Kuwaiti Fencing Association symbolizes the country's marine and terrestrial environments. It features a combination of the Al Boom ship, the most famous Kuwaiti wooden sailing vessel from the past, and the Al Arfaj flower, the national flower that reflects the beauty of Kuwaiti nature. The ceremony also honored past and present players, as well as former members of the Kuwaiti Fencing Association.