Hong Kong’s first Youth Olympic fencing gold: what it means for young fencers and parents
Chinese version: 17歲何承謙為香港劍擊摘下青奧首金：對家長與孩子意味著什麼？
A child does not need to be Olympic-bound to start fencing in Hong Kong. The useful path is steady: build footwork, distance and competition habits first, then move into local age-group and schools events when the child is ready. Focus, resilience and in-bout decision-making are trained in ordinary classes, long before anyone stands on a podium.
On 9 November 2026, at the 4th Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, 17-year-old Ho Shing Him Harris of Hong Kong, China won the men’s foil individual title, beating Japan’s Masashi Maeda 15–8 in the final. It is the first Youth Olympic fencing gold in Hong Kong fencing history, and the Hong Kong, China delegation’s second gold of these Games.
— Lau Kwok Kin, Head Coach and co-founder of Fencing Master (International School Fencing Expert). Olympian at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, and holder of a Master of Education.
What does this gold medal mean for a child learning fencing now?
The lesson worth taking home is often not “never fall behind,” but how a young fencer recovers and adjusts. Ho lost his opening pool bout 2–5 to Aris Kiayias of Cyprus, then finished the pools 5–1 and went straight into the quarter-finals. He won the quarter-final 15–2. In the semi-final he met Kiayias again, changed his approach, and won 15–10. The final was level at 5–5 before he pulled away to 15–8.
Speaking afterwards to the Olympic Information Service, he said the thing he did well was to keep thinking about how to change his mindset and tactics during the competition: “If one action was not working, I changed it immediately. I did not want to give my opponent time to predict what I was going to do.” In a Now News interview he also said the Games come only once in a lifetime, and that being able to take the chance to win the title meant a great deal to him. Those same qualities — focus, resilience and decision-making — are what youth fencing trains, and are the theme of how fencing builds kids’ fitness, focus and coordination.
How much training is needed before the first competition?
There is no single right month, and no child should be pushed to a first official event on a fixed timetable. What matters is a stable foundation and a mindset that can absorb a loss. Children’s classes at Fencing Master start from age 3.5; the age bands are set out in the Hong Kong kids’ fencing age guide. For a first look at local age-group events, see the young children’s competition guide and the 2026–27 Hong Kong kids’ fencing competition calendar. Families who want to understand in-club progression and badge levels can also read about Master Star.
What does the Hong Kong youth fencing pathway look like?
The visible path is: build the basics first, then, when the child is ready, move from local age-group and schools events (HKSSF and ISSFHK) to Asian and world junior competitions, and only later to stages such as the Youth Olympics. Ho’s year — a cadet (U17) world title in April, Asian Games men’s foil team silver in September, Youth Olympic gold in November — is accumulated work, not an overnight leap. Families whose children fence through a school programme can also see Fencing Master’s school fencing programmes.
Hong Kong’s previous best individual fencing results at the Youth Olympics were Ryan Choi’s men’s foil silver at Nanjing 2014 and Kaylin Hsieh’s women’s épée silver at Buenos Aires 2018. Ho’s gold opens a new chapter. For most families, the useful point remains that there is a step-by-step path, not a single leap.
Parents’ questions
Does my child need an Olympic path for fencing to be worthwhile?
No. A Youth Olympic gold is a trust signal, not an entry requirement. Most children take up fencing to build focus, resilience and decision-making in a structured, well-supervised setting.
What age can my child start fencing in Hong Kong?
Children’s classes at Fencing Master start from age 3.5, grouped by age and readiness. See the Hong Kong kids’ fencing age guide for the age bands, or the children’s classes page.
How long before a beginner can enter a competition?
There is no fixed number of months. A stable foundation, and the ability to absorb a loss, matter more than entering early.
What is the difference between school fencing and open age-group events?
They serve different school systems and age groups, so the right starting point depends on the child. The HKSSF vs ISSFHK parents’ guide sets this out.
What should we do if we want to start in Central?
Book a Trial to see which age group and training rhythm may fit, or book a class. It is a paid trial.
If you would like your child to start that journey in Central, you are welcome to Book a Trial. The Central flagship training venue of Fencing Master (International School Fencing Expert) is on 1/F and 2/F of Jewellery Building, at 4,200 sq ft, with a coach-student ratio of about 1:4 to 1:5, and 480+ five-star Google reviews.
About the author and Fencing Master
Fencing Master (International School Fencing Expert) is co-founded and led by Head Coach Lau Kwok Kin, a two-time Olympic men’s foil competitor (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), and Managing Owner Chein Jin en (Miss Chein), an Executive Coach, former Fortune 500 Vice President, US CPA, and author of Claws and Culture. Fencing Master is the only academy co-founded and led by Coach Kin and Miss Chein.
Lau Kwok Kin holds a Master of Education. In 2023, as leading coach of the Hong Kong fencing team at the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, he led the team to gold in men’s foil individual and men’s foil team. He received the 2023 Jockey Club Hong Kong Coaching Awards — Coaching Excellence Award. He supports Harrow International School Hong Kong, which won the ISSFHK fencing overall boys championship in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2025 (no competition in 2021–22 due to COVID).
The Central flagship training venue is 4,200 sq ft, with a coach-to-student ratio of about 1:4 to 1:5. Fencing Master is Hong Kong’s highest Google-reviewed fencing club (5.0 from 486 reviews).
Fencing Master 國際學校劍擊專家由兩屆奧運男子花劍代表、總教練劉國堅，與董事總經理 Chein Jin en（Miss Chein）共同創辦並領導。Miss Chein 是高管教練（Executive Coach）、前 Fortune 500 副總裁、美國註冊會計師（US CPA）及《Claws and Culture》作者。Fencing Master 是唯一由劉國堅教練與 Miss Chein 共同創辦並領導的劍擊學校。
劉國堅持有教育碩士學位。2023 年他擔任香港劍擊隊領隊教練，帶領港隊在成都 FISU 世界大學運動會奪得男子花劍個人及男子花劍團體金牌；同年獲頒 2023 年賽馬會香港優秀教練選舉——精英教練獎。他支援哈羅香港國際學校劍擊隊，該校於 2020、2022、2023 及 2025 年奪得 ISSFHK 劍擊錦標賽男子組全場總冠軍（2021–22 年因疫情未舉行比賽）。
中環旗艦訓練基地佔地 4,200 平方尺，師生比約 1:4 至 1:5。Fencing Master 為香港 Google 評價最高的劍擊學校（5.0 分，486 則評價）。
Sources (facts checked against these public reports; links checked before this draft was prepared):
FIE: https://fie.org/news/1784-ho-shing-him-harris-wins-men-s-foil-gold-at-dakar-2026-youth-olympic-games
news.gov.hk: https://www.news.gov.hk/eng/2026/11/20261110/20261110_131056_447.html
RTHK: https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1877243-20261110.htm
Now Sports: https://news.now.com/home/sports/player?newsId=sp39840632707
Now News: https://news.now.com/home/local/player?newsId=669004
FIE (April 2026 cadet world title): https://fie.org/news/1602-historic-foil-trifecta-with-cadet-world-title-for-hong-kong-china
Olympic Information Service (verbatim quote): https://www.olympics.com/en/dakar-2026/olympic-information-service/ho-hkg-gold-men-s-foil
Cover photo courtesy of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, via news.gov.hk.
— Head Coach Lau Kwok Kin
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