By Victor Kanayo
British Fencer Folayemi Akinyosoye has decided to let go of representing Great Britain to now stay put with Nigeria, his country of origin.
Akinyosoye, who has been a prominent figure in British junior fencing for the past six years, made this decision as fencing gains momentum in Nigeria.
In an acceptance letter dated August 1, 2024, and signed by British Fencing CEO Georgina Usher, Akinyosoye was exempted from the usual three-year non-compete period.
“Following FIE regulations 1.4.3, this letter is from the former federation (Great Britain) accepting the transfer request and agreeing to waive the 3-year non-compete period.
“On behalf of British Fencing, I write to confirm that British Fencing has no objection to the athlete (Folayemi Akinyosoye) changing their FIE nationality and that we waive any non-compete period.”
Responding, the 20-year-old fencer said, “I would like to represent Nigeria because of my personal connections to Nigeria it’s where my family roots originate, so there is desire to contribute to the development of the sport which is in its early stages stage in Nigeria.
“I also hope that representing Nigeria might provide a unique platform to promote the Sabre Fencing and inspire other young Nigerians to take an interest in the sport.
“I am very excited to represent Nigeria and cannot wait to work with the Nigerian fencing federation to bring my fencing to the next level.”
Akinyosoye also shared his optimism about Nigeria’s potential to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games.
Fencing has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.
