USA Fencing and FIE Sign MOU to Maximize the Sport's Moment on the Road to LA28

Published April 28, 2026 · Updated September 21, 2026

USA Fencing and the International Fencing Federation (FIE) signed a memorandum of understanding creating a joint working group focused on the run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

What was signed, and where

Per USA Fencing, the MOU was signed April 24 at USA Fencing's North American Cup in Richmond, Virginia.

The agreement creates a joint body called the "Fencing Road to LA28 Working Group," and it is in force through Dec. 31, 2028 — several months past the Games themselves.

World Para Fencing was invited to participate.

What the working group is for

The stated purpose is coordination: identifying opportunities, sharing information, and tracking progress through the Closing Ceremony in Los Angeles.

That is deliberately broad language, and it is worth reading it as such rather than assuming specific outcomes. An MOU is not a contract to deliver particular events, rule changes, or funding. It is an agreement that two organizations will work in the same room on a defined subject for a defined period.

Why a national federation and the international federation need this

Ordinarily a national governing body and an international federation interact through rules, rankings and sanctioning. A home Olympics changes that relationship temporarily.

When the Games are in Los Angeles, the host country's federation is suddenly the sport's primary point of contact with American media, American sponsors and an American audience — while the international federation owns the competition itself. Those two roles overlap heavily for about three years.

A standing working group is the least dramatic way to handle that overlap: a place where both sides can see the same calendar and the same plans instead of discovering conflicts late.

The date that matters most

The most informative detail in the announcement is the end date: Dec. 31, 2028.

The Games finish in the summer of 2028. Keeping the group alive through the end of that calendar year signals that both organizations expect the useful work to include what happens after the competition — the period when a host country either converts attention into participation or does not.

What it means for a club and its families

Nothing in this agreement changes a training plan, a qualification path, or a tournament entry. No new event is created by it.

What it does suggest is that the two bodies that shape the sport internationally and nationally are planning three years out, together, with the U.S. audience explicitly in view. For a saber family, the practical consequence is that the next few seasons are likely to bring more visibility, more coverage, and more newcomers to clubs.

The useful response to that is to already be training when it arrives, rather than starting the week after the Closing Ceremony alongside everyone else.

How to read future announcements from this group

When news comes out of the Fencing Road to LA28 Working Group, keep three things in mind:

Announcements from a working group are usually plans and priorities, not decisions with immediate competitive effect.
Anything affecting eligibility or qualification will appear in USA Fencing's athlete-facing rules and policies, not only in a partnership release.
The group's remit runs through the end of 2028, so its later output may be about legacy and participation rather than the Games.

Train with us in Bethesda

Saber Nation is a saber-only club at 4701 Sangamore Road, Suite LL2, Bethesda, MD 20816. If the road to LA28 has your family thinking about fencing, the first step is a class — see our saber fencing classes in Bethesda or contact us.

Official USA Fencing source: USA Fencing and FIE Sign Memorandum of Understanding Designed to Maximize the Sport's Moment on the Road to LA28 — published April 28, 2026.

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