The Italian Fencing Federation, known as Federazione Italiana Scherma (FIS) has shown interest to advance the development of fencing games in Nigeria through technical support and knowledge transfer for four years.

The President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, Adeyinka Samuel disclosed this in a statement, saying the four-year agreement was formalised during the weekend at the International Fencing Federation's congress in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

According to him, the agreement will enable the Italian federation to assist Nigeria through sending Italian coaches, referees, and specialists to conduct training courses in the country.

"We are thrilled to be making substantial efforts to enhance the sport by organizing top-class events and seeking technical support from leading fencing nations like Italy.

"This agreement will facilitate knowledge transfer to our technical officials, adding value to our sport by updating the skills of those who train and manage our athletes.

"The FIS has significantly helped many African countries improve technically, and we believe this partnership will allow us to benefit from their extensive knowledge to transform our sport," he said.

He reiterated the preparedness to host the upcoming Men's Junior Epee Fencing World Cup, scheduled for December 14-15 at Charterhouse Lagos, marking it the first time a Sub-Saharan African country will host a fencing World Cup.

Paolo Azzi, President of FIS, who signed on behalf of Italy, expressed commitment to offer support to Nigeria, saying the partnership would improve the country's performance in the sport.