En Garde… Ready…Fence!

Renowned both for its sports offering, and as being the only private members’ club in London with its own fencing salle d’armes, The Lansdowne Club has long been the first choice of club for those with an interest in sports generally, but fencing specifically. Classes are offered for beginners looking to be introduced to the fun and complexities of the sport, as well as those who are more advanced in their ability and understanding. Nowhere is this more apparent than in club member Alexander Tofalides, who has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics as the first person to represent Cyprus in fencing. He will be competing in the men's foil event.

To honour this tremendous achievement, The Lansdowne Club hosted Great Britain vs Europe in an exhibition match featuring world-class fencers, including current and former Olympians. Attendees to this fencing spectacular were treated to a glittering Champagne reception and the thrill of watching world-class fencing up close, with the final match of the evening a showcase dual between Tofalides and his personal coach – British, European and Commonwealth champion, Benjamin Peggs; the two men having fenced together since Tofalides was just 14 years old.

The Great Britain team comprised:

Husayn Rosowsky, 2012 London Olympian, member of the Great Britain team and British Champion
Benjamin Peggs, British, European and Commonwealth Champion, and member of the Great Britain team
Rafael Rhys Pollitt, U20 World Cup Medallist and British Senior Championship Silver Medallist

The Europe team, meanwhile, included:

Alexander Tofalides, the first fencer in the history of Cyprus to qualify for an Olympic Games
Andrii Cherkashyn, Bronze Medallist at the 2023 European Championship for Ukraine
Luis Macedo, Portuguese National Champion

It was an exciting exhibition and a closely fought match, with Europe winning by only a point. True to form, the last point of the whole exhibition was won by Tofalides, giving Europe 45 points to Great Britain’s 44.

The Winners’ Cup – commissioned especially for the occasion – was presented to the Europe team by Cyprus High Commissioner Kyriacόs Kouros, with Tofalides leading his team in the well-deserved celebrations.

All eyes will be on Tofalides on Monday 29 July, when the men’s foil tournaments commence. Here’s hoping the luck of The Lansdowne follows him to the Grand Palais, where it won’t just be the citizens of Cyprus cheering him on, but a certain corner of Berkeley Square, too.

Cyprus High Commissioner Kyriacόs Kouros, Alexander Tofalides, the first fencer in the history of Cyprus to qualify for an Olympic Games and CEO and Club Secretary at The Lansdowne Club David Herbert

The Lansdowne Club has, of course, come a long way since the early days of its fencing. In fact, when it first opened as a private members’ club in 1935, there were initially no plans for a fencing salle whatsoever. But by the end of the year, fencing for both men and women had become established at the Club – albeit held in what was then the gym, which had whimsically been painted to resemble an ocean liner, complete with sea views and a life ring bearing the words “SS Lansdowne.” Today, the walls of the salle d’armes are a far cry from the maritime murals that fencers in the 1930s would have faced, while the facilities themselves – no doubt cutting-edge at the time – have evolved with the sport. For current and future Olympians and amateurs alike, there really is nowhere else in London with the history and the pedigree of The Lansdowne Club to learn this most kingly of sports. En garde!

www.lansdowneclub.com