The European Fencing Confederation (EFC) Congress was held in Sochi on September 11, 2021.
The event was attended by delegates representing 42 countries.
The Congress took place in a hybrid format: delegates who were unable to attend the event in person participated via video link. However, most were still able to fly to Sochi.
At the annual Congress:
- were summarized the results of the year, was approved the financial report, as well as the budget for 2022
- were determined the cities in which the 2022 European competitions will be held: Junior and Cadet championships will take place in Novi Sad (Serbia), European championships (U23) in Tallin (Estonia), European Championships (senior) in Antalya (Turkey)
A new President and a new composition of the EFC COMEX were elected at the Elective Congress.
The only candidate for the presidency was the current head of the organization, four-time Olympic champion Stanislav Pozdnyakov.
The delegates stood up to applaud his election as head of the EFC for a second term, after which the new president thanked all for their trust.
He said, "Today’s decision gives me confidence that we have been going in the right direction for five years. It makes me happy but at the same time I feel a huge responsibility to the fencers of the continent, as there is further comprehensive work ahead of us to develop and popularize fencing in Europe."
Also, the delegates elected new EFC COMEX. It included:
Jacek Slupski (Poland), Dieter Lammer (Germany), Anna Ferraro (Italy), Etienne Van Cann (the Netherlands), Nikolay Mateev (Iceland), Gabor Boczco (Hungary), Metaxia Smaili (Greece), Nuala McGarrity (Ireland), Ana Valero-Collantes (Sweden).
Concluding the event, EFC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov congratulated all delegates and guests on the World Fencing Day, which coincided with the day of the Congress. He also thanked the International Fencing Federation, its president Alisher Usmanov, guests, and delegates for their support.
