The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published its 2023 Prohibited List. The
Prohibited List designates the substances and methods that are prohibited in sport.
Following an extensive consultation period by WADA, the 2023 Prohibited List was
published on 29 September 2022. This gives athletes and support personnel sufficient
time to make themselves aware of the changes, review any medications they use on
Global DRO, and apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) if required before the
updated List comes into effect on 1 January 2023.
Please visit UK Anti-Doping's website here to read a summary of the changes on the
2023 List and information on Tramadol, which will be prohibited in-competition from 1
January 2024.
The following resources are also available to read on WADA’s website:
• The full 2023 Prohibited List
• The WADA 2023 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes
• The 2023 Monitoring Programme which includes substances not currently on
the List, but are being monitored by WADA for potential patterns of misuse in
sport.
Rising Costs online forum calls
Rising costs are having an impact on sports clubs and people across the Scottish sporting landscape. We are planning to run two online forums on Zoom as opportunities to come along and chat with the team about some of the challenges rising costs are having on clubs and the people in the sport.
The two sessions will be on:
Wednesday 9th November 7pm to 8pm
Thursday 10th November 5pm to 6pm.
If you (or someone else from your club) wishes to come along, please click here to Sign Up to Forum.
FIE Veteran World Fencing Championships 2022
The FIE Veteran World Fencing Championships have been taking place in Zadar, Croatia over the last week. A number of Scottish Fencing members made the journey to compete with some excellent performances across all weapons.
In the Epee events, Hugh Kernohan won bronze in the Vet 60 Men’s Epee, Hugh was also art of the GB team who took silver in the team event. Georgina Usher won bronze in the Vet 50 Women’s Epee category and was also part of the GB team who won silver in the team event.
In Foil, Sheila Anderson won bronze in the Vet 60 Women’s Foil and was part of the GB team who finished 4th in the team event. Mike McKay helped the GB Vet Men’s Foil team to the bronze medal.
In the Sabre events, Viv Frith and Silvia Brown were part of the GB team who won silver medal in the Vet Team Women’s Sabre event.
Scottish Fencing would like to congratulate all of the medal winners and competitors on their performances.
To view the event results Click here.
Sam McLellan passes FIE refereeing exam
Scottish Fencing would like to extend our congratulations to Sam McLellan, who recently passed his FIE Sabre referring exam in Budapest.
After a lengthy process, the qualification will enable Sam to referee Sabre at everything from Junior World Cups to Senior Grand Prix’s. Sam is an active an passionate member of the Scottish Fencing referees Advisory group and is keen to use his experience to help develop and mentor other aspiring referees in Scotland.
Sam said:
“I am very pleased to have passed the exam, and do it alongside my close pal, Euan. The long process to the licence requires a lot of mentorship and support. I am particularly grateful to the EFC mentor, Vasil Milenchev; British Fencing’s pathway led by Adrian Speakman; Patrick Jennings for his Sabristic support; the (legendary) referee manager Nickie Bailey for her unwavering help; colleagues at Scottish fencing for their strong strategic focus on officiating and referee development; and the fairly awesome people who mentor me quietly and privately from the sidelines. They know who they are. I accept this licence as an invitation to officially keep learning and progressing in international refereeing: not as an end in itself. It merely marks, in my view, the end of the beginning.”
The Highland Open Fencing Tournament 2022
A record number of entries from Elgin Duellist Fencing Club was a fitting tribute to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK’s most northernly ranking fencing tournament held at Elgin High School on 24 and 25 September.
“With it origins going back to the Cairngorm Winter Festival, the Highland Open was first held in Aviemore as a team competition in 1972 where entry fees were an outrageous 10p not for one fencer but for the whole team!
Over the years, the tournament has been held in various locations in the north of Scotland but for the last eight years the competition has taken place in Elgin and is hosted by Elgin Duellist Fencing Club. Despite entry fees having increased in the intervening years somewhat, the competition is in good health and attracts fencers from both home and abroad”, said Robin Paterson, Head Coach and Secretary of the Organising Committee.
He added that “this year, there were 172 entries from 25 clubs competing in the men’s and women’s foil, epee and sabre categories from as far afield as Shetland to Norfolk over the two days of the tournament. Of these entries we were delighted that 18 members of Elgin Duellist Fencing Club took up the challenge to compete. With the nearest fencing tournaments usually being held in the central belt of Scotland, there has always been a strong equalities drive for the Club to offer this competition locally and many of our club members would not otherwise have the chance to ever experience this level of competition. Over the weekend, Elgin Duellists who fenced ranged in age from 13 to 70 and included three sets of parents and their off-spring and for many, this was their first competition outside the Club. In its own right, we consider this to be a terrific achievement for Elgin Duellist Fencing Club which was established in 2007”.
Elgin Duellist have created a full report on the results and you can read this report here. There are also results listed below with links for each event category.
For anyone looking to join Elgin Duellist Fencing Club the club meets every Thursday during term time at Elgin High from 6.30 to 9.00pm. Use this email link to get in touch with the club to find out more.
Salma Ahmad - Team Scotland Achieve programme
Salma and some of the other Team Scotland Achieve programme athletes.
Salma Ahmad was selected to represent Scottish Fencing in the Team Scotland Achieve programme which was run in conjunction with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The Achieve programme is an educational programme aimed at athletes that have the potential to progress in their sport and have a passion for inspiring others to take part in sport.
As part of the programme, Salma spent five days in Birmingham attending the Commonwealth Games and taking part in some educational workshops. Salma had a fantastic time and was kind enough to document her experience in a blog.
To read more about Salma’s experience click here.
Salma with Scotland Women’s Football Captain, Rachel Corsie
Sportscotland learning programme - Athlete-Coach Relationships & Effective Coaching
sportscotland Institute of Sport is delighted to invite you to a learning programme helping coaches explore ‘Athlete-Coach Relationships & Effective Coaching’. We have been working with Professor Sophia Jowett (Loughborough University and UK Sport) who is internationally recognised for her work in this field to design the learning series.
‘There are many examples of high-profile coaches who have embraced and applied the notion of the “relational coaching environment” (Jowett & Shanmugam, 2016, p. 471) at the heart of which lies building good quality relationships. Coaches who have achieved the highest sport accolades with their athletes all over the world have talked openly about the role and significance of the coach-athlete relationship and include Pep Guardiola (football), Mike Krzyzewski (basketball), Lisa Alexander (netball), Marcus Wiese and Danny Kerry (hockey), Aimee Boorman (gymnastics), Ans Botham (athletics), and Mel Marshall and Bob Bowman (swimming). It becomes immediately apparent that these coaches recognise the value of connecting with each athlete in their team signalling that they have nothing but their athletes’ very best interests at heart. Such coaches become ‘talent magnets’ because athletes want to work with and for them.’
Jowett, S., & Slade, K. (2021). Understanding the coach-athlete relationship and the role of ability, intentions and integrity. In , C. Heaney, N. Kentzer, & B. Oakley (Eds.) Athletic Development: A Psychological Perspective. Upcoming OPEN UNIVERSITY publication
This module aims to enhance knowledge and understanding about the interpersonal dynamics between coaches and athletes. Its point of departure is that coaching is an interpersonal situation (process and practice) that involves both the coach and each athlete in a squad. As a coach and a given athlete interact in training, in competition and in other settings, they develop a working relationship. This coach-athlete relationship is at the heart of coaching and its quality has the potential to determine the effectiveness and success of coaching. In this course, coaches will familiarise themselves with the role the coach-athlete relationship plays in coaching and the significance it has for both athletes’ and coaches’ performance and wellbeing.
Jowett 2007 and Jowett & Felton 2022 refer to ‘The 3+1C’s Model of the Coach-Athlete Relationship: Closeness, Commitment, Co-orientation and Complementarity’. This module will help you consider what actions/behaviours or interactions are likely to promote these 4 characteristics that define good quality coach-athlete relationships.
About Professor Sophia Jowett:
Sophia Jowett, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Loughborough University, United Kingdom. Sophia’s work revolves around interpersonal relationships, leadership and communication. Currently, she is working at UK Sport as a consultant on an exciting project that focuses on women’s leadership development and their advancement into senior coach-related roles.
Sophia’s research has been funded by such institutions as Economic and Social Research Council, British Academy, Nuffield Foundation, UK Coaching, UK Sport, Sasakawa Foundation, Hellenic Olympic Committee and HSBC. The findings of her research have been published extensively in a range of scientific journals, book chapters and conference presentations held nationally and internationally (including webinars, blogs etc). Her research has informed coach development across the world. Examples of significant nation-wide practical impact include her work with UK Coaching, UK Sport, Sport England and National Governing Sport Bodies.
Format of the course:
8 x 1 hour Webinars, Mondays, 12noon - 1pm, starting on Monday 3rd October
Content will include presentations, Q&A, discussions, readings and tasks for consideration / completion between Monday sessions
Webinars will be recorded and hosted on Brightspace (Virtual Learning Environment) to allow coaches to catch-up or revisit content when convenient, but to optimise the learning experience we do encourage coaches to try and keep pace with the regular Monday 12-1pm.
Part 1: Theoretical & Empirical underpinnings
Coaching – An exploration into what is coaching?
The coach-athlete relationship as a phenomenon and its association with coaching
The role and significance of the coach-athlete relationship
The determinants of good versus not-so-good coach-athlete relationships
Part 2: Practical or Applied Underpinnings
Communication strategies as the fuel of quality coach-athlete relationships: Motivational Strategy
Openness as a communication strategy and its links to Psychological Safety
Coach-Athlete Conflict and its Management
Tandem and Concluding reflections
Session Dates:
03/10/22
10/10/22
(Break 17/10/22 and 24/10/22)
31/10/22
07/11/22
14/11/22
21/11/22
28/11/22
05/12/22
To access the live webinar learning series, please register by Wednesday 28th September, and a link to the session will be sent to you:
Young People's Sports Panel - Applications now open!
Do you want to be the voice for Young People in sport? If so, Sportscotland would love to hear from you. Applications are now open for the Young People’s Sports Panel.
Applications will close at 10pm on Wednesday 28 September 2022.
Recruitment - Scottish Fencing Board vacancy - Finance Director
Scottish Fencing is seeking a qualified individual with knowledge of and expertise in accounting standards and concepts to support the Board and staff team in the role of Finance Director.
In joining the Board of Scottish Fencing you will gain experience of working as a leader within a small but dynamic Governing Body. You will help to shape the future of Scottish Fencing, at a point where the relationship between sport, health and well-being is strengthening. Re-invigorating the sport, encouraging people to participate and volunteer are key activities.
The successful individual will bring their skills and knowledge to the Board and develop an area of expertise and interest as part of an integrated team with the elected Board members. Each Board Member holds a portfolio which we adapt according to the skills and interest of Board members, aligned to the organisational strategy. Directors take decisions within their portfolios on behalf of the Board.
This appointment is a great opportunity for someone with a passion for sport. It presents an opportunity for the development of new and existing skills, meeting new people and new networks, and making a genuine difference to sport in Scotland.
For more information and details of the application process, please click the Role Description and Full advert below.
Scottish Fencing Board vacancy - Finance Director role description
Team Scotland Achieve Programme - Salma Ahmad represents Scottish Fencing in Birmingham
Salma Ahmad has been selected to represent Scottish Fencing in the Team Scotland Achieve programme which takes place alongside the Birmingham Commonwealth Games this week.
The Achieve programme is an educational programme aimed at athletes that have the potential to progress in their sport and have a passion for inspiring others to take part in sport. Achieve athletes will spend 5 days in Birmingham at the Games and will have access to a well-qualified and experienced mentor that will guide them through this educational experience.
Salma is a member of both West Lothian Fencing Club and Heriot Watt Fencing Club, where she is also the armourer for the university fencing club. She is focussed on developing her competitive experience with the aim of representing Scotland at the next Commonwealth Fencing Championships. Salma is also extremely passionate about encouraging others to try fencing and aims to be a positive role model for anyone who is keen to try the sport.
Salma travels to Birmingham on Wednesday 3rd August, where she will be given a tour of the athletes village before taking in cycling, hockey, gymnastics, table tennis and athletics. There is also an educational programme where Salma will take part in inspirational talks, media training and interactive workshops to share learning across sports.
Everyone at Scottish Fencing sends their best wishes to Salma for what is sure to be an unforgettable experience and we are looking forward to hearing all about the programme on her return.
