Typhoon forces spectators to miss out on city fencers

By the Editorial Team · Monday, July 27, 2026

A typhoon forced the cancellation of morning sessions at the Kerry Foreign World Fencing Championships in Hong Kong, coinciding with the elimination of all local fencers in the men’s épée and women’s sabre events before the round of 16. The adverse weather deprived supporters of watching home competitors, who now look to redeem themselves in upcoming team events and future tournaments.

A typhoon that struck Hong Kong disrupted the early rounds of the Kerry Foreign World Fencing Championships, preventing spectators from attending morning sessions and coinciding with the elimination of all local fencers in the men’s épée and women’s sabre events before the round of 16.

In the men’s épée opening round, Hong Kong’s Cedric Ho Wai-hang faced Hungary’s Gergely Siklosi, ranked fifth in the world. Ho trailed 1-7 early in the match and narrowed the gap to 4-9 by the second period but was ultimately defeated 15-5. The 29-year-old expressed disappointment that the typhoon's Signal No. 8 warning kept supporters and family members from attending, and that his early exit prevented them from seeing him compete in later rounds.

“Knowing that [typhoon] signal No 8 was up today and many fans and family members might not be able to come, I told myself I could win even against one of the world’s best,” Ho said after the match. He added that he hoped to perform better in the upcoming team events at the World Championships and at the Asian Games.

In the women’s sabre competition, Hong Kong’s sole entrant, Summer Jane Sit, advanced past the round of 64 by defeating Zhang Xinyi of mainland China 15-6. However, she was eliminated in the following round after a 11-15 loss to Spain’s Lucia Martin-Portugues, the reigning European champion and ranked sixth globally. This result prevented Sit from improving on her career-best performance of reaching the round of 32 from last year’s World Championships.

Sit said competing on home soil was both motivating and challenging. “There is definitely a certain amount of pressure when competing at home, but performing well under pressure requires controlling it and turning it into motivation,” she noted. Reflecting on her match, she gave herself a five or six out of 10, citing impatience and a lack of tactical variety in the latter stages of the bout. “Midway through the bout, my mind was consumed by the urge to win, making me impatient and unable to execute my movements,” she added. Sit described feeling sadness over missing the opportunity to advance further.

By the time the weather improved and fans were permitted into the AsiaWorld-Expo venue, all Hong Kong fencers in these events had been eliminated, ending local hopes for advancement before the round of 16.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.