Patiala (Punjab) [India], February 13 (ANI): Indian fencers praised the newly built High-Performance Centre here at the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports on Thursday, saying it will give a massive boost to the specialised Olympic sport.

Developed at an estimated total cost of Rs 22.83 crore, the high-performance centre features state-of-the-art infrastructure that provides an international-standard training environment for athletes, according to a press release from SAI Media.

The HPC houses a fully functional, multipurpose indoor fencing hall, supporting integrated sports science services, advanced strength and conditioning facilities, and structured athlete recovery under one roof. The multipurpose indoor hall is equipped with international-standard infrastructure, including pistes and electronic scoring systems, enabling a high-performance, competition-simulated training environment for fencers.

A 24-member Indian senior sabre team, including 12 men and 12 women, is currently training under head coach Sagar Lagu at the new High-Performance Centre at NSNIS Patiala with an eye on winning medals at this year's Asian Games in Japan.

Praising the world-class facility, Sagar, who also doubles up as Chief Coach for the Fencing Association of India (FAI), told SAI Media: 'Multipurpose halls are there at other SAI facilities also, but having an exclusive hall dedicated to fencing with all equipment at one place is something that makes it one-of-a-kind in the entire country. With my experience, I can say it is the best facility in India as of now. This HPC was opened just 20-25 days ago, and we started off with a national camp for the Asian Games the moment it was handed over to us. Currently, 12 men and 12 women for sabre discipline are training here for the Asian Games.'

Fencing is currently in a developmental phase in India, with steady and visible improvement at the international level. India has not won a medal at the Asian Games till date, with the biggest star being Bhavani Devi, who qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and remains the only fencer from the country to have won a medal at the Senior Asian Championships, securing a bronze medal in the individual event in 2023.

Currently, India has three fencers ranked inside the Top 100 in the world, including Bhavani Devi (Women's Sabre - WR 59), Karan Singh (Men's Sabre - WR 75) and Taniksha Khatri (Women's Epee - WR 86).

2022 Commonwealth Fencing Championship bronze medallist KP Gisho Nidhi, who serves as a Subedar in the Indian Army, won gold in men's sabre at the 36th Senior National Fencing Championship last year and is targeting a medal at the upcoming Men's Sabre Grand Prix (May 1 to 3, 2026) in South Korea and Men's Sabre World Cup (May 22 to 24, 2026, in Egypt) in the run-up to the Asian Games.

The Tamil Nadu athlete said that the new HPC is the only exclusive facility for fencing in India and is no less than facilities in Germany and Hungary.

'I have come to NSNIS Patiala for the first time for a national camp. I have been to the Army Sports Institute in Pune and the SAI Aurangabad centre previously. It feels great to be training at this newly-built HPC. All fencers were talking to each other, saying that this facility is of international standard. I have trained at such multipurpose fencing halls in Germany and Hungary, and this looks no less than that. According to my understanding, I don't think there is an exclusive facility for fencing like this one,' KP Gisho Nidhi told SAI Media.

The HPC also includes a dedicated Strength and Conditioning Hall, equipped with modern resistance training systems and functional training zones, and multidisciplinary services such as Sports Anthropometry, Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, Sports Psychology, etc. facilitating data-driven performance optimisation, injury prevention, and evidence-based rehabilitation.

Another sabre fencer, Vishal Thapar, who won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Championships in Canberra, Australia, said that having an HPC in the sport will make a world of difference for the performance of upcoming athletes.

'I am part of fencing since 2006 and must say that the SAI centre has undergone massive changes till now. Having a High-Performance Centre in fencing will make a huge difference. The upcoming athletes will be provided these facilities from the grassroot level, at the start of their careers, this was unimaginable in my time. They will be getting all kinds of guidance and training including specialised coaches, strength & conditioning, physios, doctors, recovery systems. This will take Indian fencing to the next level,' Vishal Thapar told SAI Media.

Junior fencer Sanya from Sangrur district in Punjab said the focus on recovery systems makes the new HPC one of a kind in the world.

'When I came to NSNIS Patiala for the first time in 2015, there weren't so many facilities for us fencers, they are far better than even European facilities. One doesn't find nutrition, accommodation, recovery and all the international standard equipment under one roof, which we find here at this HPC. We get hydrotherapy for recovery here, which we also get in Europe. An ice bath used to be part of it, but hydrotherapy is its advanced version, which SAI is providing us here. In all, this is the best centre for fencing in the world,' Sanya told SAI Media. (ANI)