“We are more than a team of fencers and we are more than a fencing centre full of dreams.”
Sydney Academy of Fencing are proudly sponsered by Ray White - Dulwich Hill.
Step into the friendly world of fencing at the Sholto Douglas Arena! Our club is the continuation of 15 years of work done by friends-colleagues coaches Alex Andre’, the most successful coach in Commonwealth Championship history, alongside Simon Capon and Antonio Signorello - who served as the Australian National Team Head Coach for 15 years and coached with the Italian Olympic Team for 8 years.
From 2024 we are the Sydney Academy of Fencing, and we believe that success in fencing is rooted in the club and its coaches. We are proud of our dedicated facilities, our highly skilled and passionate coaches, and our innovative and engaging programs. Join us today and see why we are respected and liked from our community.
The Academy facilities are named after Sholto Douglas, Academy's foilist and, one of the top Australian fencers ever.
We are in Sydney, 190 Bourke Rd, Building 2, Alexandria, within walking distance from Mascot and Greensquare train stations.
The Academy is only 10’ away from Sydney airport and 10’ from the City centre.
The Centre includes 16 fencing pistes, a changing area with lockers, two bathrooms with showers, fitness spaces and a parafencing dedicated area.
We have decided to name our fencing centre to Sholto Douglas, for his outstanding achievements, and also his invaluable contribution to our Academy.
Sholto, who’s now an AI researcher at Google in San Francisco, is part of our legacy and his support is the evident demonstration of the circle of life.
Sholto Douglas is an Academy foilist who has become one of the best Australian fencers of all time.
Sholto has had a relevant career including winning gold (team) and silver at the senior Commonwealths, silver at the U23 Asians, bronze (team) and top 8 at the senior Asians, bronze (team) at the World Universiade. He also reached as far as being top 16 in a senior World Cup and was two times senior Australian Champion.
The Italian school of fencing has shaped champions for centuries, and it’s still one of the very top in the world.
Known for its elegance, precision, and tactical brilliance as well as for its “self perpetuating system”, it represents a living heritage of skill and artistry.
At our Academy, we honour this proud tradition while embracing the demands of modern competition.
Through a careful balance of classical technique and contemporary training methods, we prepare our students not only to excel on the piste but also to develop confidence, focus, selfless contribution and determination that extend far beyond it.
We offer all levels of fencing to fit everyone's needs
Introduction to fencing for all ages
Foil, Sabre and Epee sessions
8 qualified coaches
4 different programs based on age and level
A flexible yet functional timetable
Italian style inclusive training and philosophy of work
Individual lessons, private lessons and group supervised sessions to ensure personalised attention for each single athlete.
Widely recognised and highly respected coaches; including a former national team and world level coach.
Experience the joy of fencing at our friendly owned, family oriented club.
2026 Boston Fawkes-Kotevski Sabre Trophy
U11, U13, U15 & Senior
U15 & Senior Para Fencing
July Holidays Sabre Fencing Camp
9:30 to 3:30 daily
Suitable for U8 to U17 aged Fencers
Registration now open
It has been an exceptional campaign for our athletes at the 2026 Cadet (U17) World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, highlighted by a historic podium finish and multiple standout performances on the world stage.
🥉 Zara Djamirze claims a magnificent bronze
A truly unforgettable result—Zara Djamirze has secured a bronze medal, earning her place among the very best in the world.
Zara delivered a dominant performance from the outset, winning all 6 of her preliminary bouts to enter the direct eliminations ranked 2nd. She maintained her incredible form through the knockout rounds with commanding victories:
Her run concluded in a tightly contested semifinal, where she narrowly fell 12–15 to a strong opponent from Hong Kong 🇭🇰. Zara finishes with a well-earned bronze medal, sharing the podium with Russia’s Isakova 🇷🇺, alongside gold medalist Pan 🇨🇳 and silver medalist Yang 🇭🇰.
Having begun her journey at Sydney Academy under coach Michael Howard and now training in the United States, Zara’s achievement marks a proud and historic moment for our community.
🌍 Rianne Leung finishes Top 8 in the world
Equally impressive was Rianne Leung, who delivered a resilient and determined performance to finish in the Top 8 globally.
After a challenging start in the preliminary rounds, Rianne elevated her level throughout the competition, securing strong victories against high-calibre opponents:
She narrowly missed out on a podium finish, losing to Jaelyn Liu (USA), who went on to become World Champion in both U17 and U20 categories.
While just short of a medal, Rianne’s performance is a testament to her perseverance, growth, and competitive spirit at the highest level.
💪 A strong team performance
Congratulations also to Kirsty Xue, Ryan Zhu, and Tiana Roberts, all of whom finished in the Top 64—an excellent showing in a highly competitive field.
🙌 A proud moment for our community
These results reflect not only individual excellence but also the strength of our academy, the dedication of our coaching team, and the unwavering support of families and the wider Sydney Academy community.
Zara and Rianne’s achievements are an inspiration to all our fencers—proof of what is possible through hard work, resilience, and belief.
Congratulations to all our athletes—this is just the beginning. 💙🤺🇦🇺
Fino alla Fine — Fight to the End.
Across these championships, our fencers showed exactly that: resilience, quality, and solidity. Every athlete fought until the last point — and that’s what matters most.
Highlights:
🥇 Tiana Roberts (sabre) — comeback from 9–14
🥇 Kirsty Xue (foil) — U20 Australian Champion
🥇 Tarin Liu (sabre) — dominant performance
🥈 Rianne Leung, Tommy Xu, Tommaso Signorello
🥉 Victoria Zhu, Ben Bai
Many other incredible fights: comebacks, close losses, and true warrior spirit across the squad.
➡️ Total: 8 medals + strong depth across all weapons
More than results, one message stands out:
no matter the score or situation — we fight to the end.
Proud of all of you. Let’s stay humble and keep building. 💪
The 2026 cadets and junior Asian Championships in Jakarta marked an outstanding campaign for our Academy, highlighted by multiple bronze medals and top-eight finishes on the continental stage.
🥉 Individual Bronze – Zara Djamirze
Zara Djamirze delivered a superb performance to claim bronze in the women’s sabre. After dominating the poules with six victories and earning the number two seed, she produced one of the most thrilling moments of the event in the quarterfinals — coming back from 10–14 down to defeat Hong Kong’s Yang 15–14 and secure her place on the podium.
Tiana Roberts, competing despite being under 15, also fenced strongly, earning a 15–7 victory over Saudi Arabia before narrowly missing the top 16 against China’s number one seed.
In women’s foil, Kirsty Xue and Rianne Leung finished an outstanding 6th and 7th. Both recorded five poule victories and advanced confidently through direct eliminations, with standout wins including Rianne’s 15–3 over China’s Lyu and Kirsty’s dramatic 15–14 comeback against Korea’s Lee.
🥉 Team Bronze Success
The medals continued in the team events.
Zara and Tiana, alongside Kayla Tin, captured bronze in the women’s sabre team competition after strong wins over Malaysia and Uzbekistan before falling to eventual champions Hong Kong.
Kirsty and Rianne also played key roles in Australia’s women’s foil team bronze campaign, highlighted by a dramatic 45–43 quarterfinal win over Korea, sealed by Kirsty’s decisive final touch.
A special mention to Max Hrovat, whose epee team narrowly missed the semifinals by one point, finishing an excellent 6th.
Multiple medals, top-eight finishes, and courageous performances — a proud moment for our Academy and Australian fencing. 🇦🇺💪🥉
Sydney Academy of Fencing are proudly partnered with Swordsplay.
As a leading fencing equipment supplier in New South Wales, Swordsplay offers high-quality gear and services tailored to the needs of both beginners and seasoned professionals of all disciplines.
Together, the combined expertise of Swordsplay and Sydney Academy of Fencing will provide exceptional support to athletes, helping them to fulfill their full potential in the sport and achieve their competitive goals.
Discover the exciting world of fencing.
Sydney Academy of Fencing Pty Ltd
Antonio started coaching in Italy in 1994.
From 2000 to 2008 has worked with the Italian National Team, training athletes to win medals at European and World level as well as for the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
From 2009 to 2024 Antonio has lead the Australian Team to win medals at the Asian championships and at the University World Games, ultimately guiding the Aussie Foil team to be ranked top 12 in the World.
Antonio students have won several Italian and Australian titles in both foil and sabre.
Simon, who has been part of the Australian Fencing Team as an athlete, coaches all weapons but he's specialised in Epee.
His students have achieved some excellent results in recent years, including the n.1 on the Australian U17 ranking, top 16 at the Asian championships and top 64 at the Worlds cadets.
Simon is very dedicated to his students and he’s extremely motivated to bring everyone to the next level.
Chris has been fencing foil for a while and, despite the young age, he has decided to start his coaching career.
Chris is very fond of the Italian foil school, and, under the guidance of Maestro Signorello and coach Capon he has quickly gained everyone’s trust and respect.
Amelie’ Awong has had a high level athlete’s career, being part of the Epee French Team and winning team gold at the 2015 Universiade as well as the senior French Championship in the same year.
Amelie’ is now coaching both epee and fencing fitness at the Sydney Academy of Fencing, trying to pass her valuable experience to the young Australian fencers.
After a competitive fencing career in foil, Richard formed the Mountains Fencing Club, and began coaching; a role he has filled to the present time.
Richard has been NSW Epee coach for the AFF.
In 2013 Richard attended an FIE epee coaching course in Uzbekistan.
Richard has also led the U23 Australian Epee Team to the Asian Championships in Kuwait.
Richard has been acknowledged by Sport NSW with the 2020 Distinguished Long Service Award and he has recently received an honorary plaque from the NSWFA, “in recognition of a career of valuable and consistent support for fencing development in NSW.”
Alex Andre’, after being an athlete of the Australian Sabre Team at the senior Asian and World Championships, started coaching after the 2012 London Olympics.
Alex is the most winning coach of all time at the commonwealth championships, with 6 gold and one silver medals in one single event in London 2022.
Alex students have won many Australian championships in all categories and, her main student, Veronika Vasileva, has been ranked n.1 in the junior world ranking.
Michael has coached for many clubs and, in 2009, joined the NSW Squad program, becoming also an assistant national coach for the national HPP.
In 2018, he established his own club called 'Hills Sabre Academy', out in Western Sydney.
He has toured with NSW fencers to many national events all over Australia and he has led the Australian Sabre Team to international events such as the World University Games in China 2011, the Cadet Junior World Champs - Moscow 2012 and the Senior World Champs - Budapest 2013.
Many of his students have achieved impressive results in state, national and international events and, more specifically, they've won two gold medals at the 2024 Commonwealth Championships.
Mauricio Panizo is a former competitive fencer and a foil coach with over 20 years of experience. He has coached in Australia, the U.S., and Peru, and holds Certificates III and IV in Fitness, as well as Level 3 accreditation with Fitness Australia.
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Sydney Academy of Fencing is committed to providing quality services to you and this policy outlines our ongoing obligations to you in respect of how we manage your Personal Information.
We have adopted the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act). The NPPs govern the way in which we collect, use, disclose, store, secure and dispose of your Personal Information.
A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles may be obtained from the website of The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at https://www.oaic.gov.au/.
Personal Information is information or an opinion that identifies an individual. Examples of Personal Information we collect includes names, addresses, email addresses, phone and facsimile numbers.
This Personal Information is obtained in many ways including correspondence, by telephone and facsimile, by email, via our website www.sydneyacademyoffencing.com.au, from your website, from media and publications, from other publicly available sources, from cookies and from third parties. We don't guarantee website links or policy of authorised third parties.
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When your Personal Information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was obtained, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify your Personal Information. However, most of the Personal Information is or will be stored in client files which will be kept by us for a minimum of 7 years.
You may access the Personal Information we hold about you and to update and/or correct it, subject to certain exceptions. If you wish to access your Personal Information, please contact us in writing.
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The academy offers a refund only in case of a long term injury or relocation to another state. In any other circumstance the fees aren’t refundable.