Sports

Fencing in Chennai: Bhavani Devi’s Journey and Where to Train

Bhavani Devi started fencing at a Chennai school in 2004. Where children can train now, what kit costs, and the Asian Cadet Cup coming to the city.

24 October 2026

Chennai FalconMr. Parthasarathy aka Chennai Falcon is passionate about…

Chennai's fencing story, from Bhavani Devi

Chennai will host the Asian Cadet Cup, an international fencing competition, from 20 to 23 November 2026, with more than 500 athletes, coaches and officials from over 30 countries expected, PTI reported. The Fencing Association of India (FAI) is running it under the Asian Fencing Confederation, backed by the Union sports ministry, the Sports Authority of India and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT). Events will be held in all three weapons: épée, foil and sabre.

A continental event coming to the city says a lot about how far the sport has travelled here, and much of that is owed to one fencer who grew up in Chennai. Here is C.A. Bhavani Devi’s path, where children in the city can train, and what fencing really costs.

From a Chennai school to the Olympics

Bhavani Devi was born in Chennai in 1993 and first picked up a sabre in 2004, as a sixth-standard student at Muruga Dhanushkodi Girls’ Higher Secondary School, The Global Indian reports. Equipment was scarce, so she practised with sticks and saved her proper sabre for tournaments. Her father was a priest and her mother a homemaker who borrowed from friends and relatives to cover fees and travel.

After Class 10 in 2007 she moved to the Sports Authority of India centre at Thalassery in Kerala. Since 2016 she has trained in Italy under coach Nicola Zanotti. The milestones that followed:

2018: first Indian to win gold at the Senior Commonwealth Fencing Championship, in sabre, in Australia.
2021: the Arjuna Award.
26 July 2021: first Indian fencer to compete at the Olympics. In Tokyo she beat Tunisia’s Nadia Ben Azizi 15-3, then lost in the round of 32 to France’s Manon Brunet, who went on to win bronze, the Olympic Council of Asia notes.
2023: bronze at the Asian Championships in Bangkok, the first fencing medal for an Indian at that event.

Her career hit a rough patch this year. She missed the Senior World Championships in Hong Kong in July 2026 while serving a two-month suspension from the International Fencing Federation, The Bridge reported. The ban followed an incident during the women’s team sabre event at the Asian Championships in New Delhi, when a helmet she threw in frustration hit an official. She apologised, and the FAI asked the world body to reduce or revoke the penalty. The suspension ran until 22 August 2026.

Tamil Nadu’s recent results

At the 2023 edition of the Khelo India Youth Games, hosted by Tamil Nadu, the state’s fencers won two gold and four bronze medals, according to the state’s 2024-25 sports policy note. Those bouts were held at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University at Melakottaiyur, on the city’s southern fringe. The state body for the sport, the Tamil Nadu fencing association, is affiliated to the FAI and runs the district and state championships that lead to national selection; ask any coach for the current calendar.

Where to train in Chennai

The main public option is SDAT’s campus at Periamet. The policy note lists fencing in:

the state-level training centre at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium;
the SDAT boys’ sports hostel at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium;
the girls’ sports hostel at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium (Nagercoil has another).

There is also a Khelo India district centre for fencing in Chengalpattu district, which suits families in the southern suburbs. Hostel places are filled through selection trials for school-age athletes. Some private schools and academies in the city run fencing too. Before joining, ask about the coach’s certification, how many students share the kit, and whether students fence in district and state championships.

Let a child try all three weapons before settling on one. Sabre made Bhavani Devi’s name, but foil and épée have their own national pathways.

What it costs

Fencing is not a cheap sport, mostly because competition gear is imported. A report in Onmanorama on two Thrissur schoolboys preparing for the Chennai event found that:

a fencing handle alone, without the blade, costs around ₹1,800;
blades are fragile and often break in practice, so they need regular replacing;
standard equipment has to come from countries such as Hungary and Germany;
travel, stay and international-standard gear for the Chennai event came to about ₹2.45 lakh, which the families were trying to raise through sponsors.

Beginners do not need all of this at once. Ask the centre whether it lends masks, jackets and practice weapons for the first months, then buy a glove, a weapon and finally a full competition kit once a child is fencing in tournaments. Check which equipment standard your level of competition requires before you spend.

Quick answers

When is the Asian Cadet Cup in Chennai?

From 20 to 23 November 2026, organised by the Fencing Association of India with support from SAI and SDAT.

Where did Bhavani Devi start fencing?

At Muruga Dhanushkodi Girls’ Higher Secondary School in Chennai, in 2004, when she was in Class 6.

Is there government fencing coaching in Chennai?

Yes. SDAT’s state-level training centre and sports hostels at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the indoor stadium include fencing.

How much does fencing equipment cost?

A handle alone is around ₹1,800, blades break often and most gear is imported, so costs climb once a fencer starts competing.

Information checked against official sources on 23 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.