GBR Sabre Fencing - Gay Games Hong Kong 2023

Hey! I'm Tom, and I'm going to be competing in Fencing (sabre) at the 2023 Gay Games in Hong Kong for GB!

I was inspired to get into fencing off of the back of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham after volunteering at Pride House, and have gone from fencing once or twice a week, to a full-on 16 hours a week training schedule, including regular competition in the national circuit of sabre competitions.

By day, I'm a researcher on the ARME Project (https://arme-project.co.uk/), looking at how musicians synchronise with one another. By - well - the rest of the time, I'm not only a fencer, but also a community advocate and event organiser , having worked on events such as HackTheMidlands (https://hackthemidlands.com/), and working with the BCS Birmingham Branch, The Royal Institution (Ri), and more.

The Gay Games were founded back in 1982 by Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell, Brenda Young, and others, with the intention of promoting diversity and inclusion in sport ️‍, and widening participation in international sport in particular. Not only is this the first Games to be hosted in Asia, but it is also the first that will be holding fencing events in sabre and foil as well as épée! This is a fantastic opportunity for me to represent Great Britain at an international level, and in addition, I'll also be representing Pride Sports at the games.

All donations to the cause will go towards supporting my flights and accommodation for the Games themselves, as well as towards regular fencing practice, competitions, equipment, and sports physiotherapy, amongst other fencing activities. Taking part in the Games is a huge commitment from me as an individual, and it wouldn't be possible without your generosity and support. In addition, I'm working to try and secure corporate sponsorship through branding my equipment. I'd be super grateful to anyone that can point me in the direction of some people who might be interested in this too!

My current training schedule is as follows,

10:00 - 11:00 Swimming

19:00 - 21:00 Fencing

10:00 - 11:00 Swimming

20:00 - 22:00 Fencing

16:00 - 19:00 Fencing

In addition to training, I'm also taking part in a number of competitions (both national and international) in the run up to the Games. I'll be doing my best to update them here, and in the Updates section of this fundraiser to keep everyone up to date with my story and progress!

Upcoming Competitions

Past Competitions

Thank you for your support! I'd really appreciate it if you could help share this around your family and friends - it's all a massive help to me