Patiala, India, February 23, 2026: With an eye on winning India’s first-ever fencing medal at the Asian Games, a 24-member national sabre squad has begun training at the newly inaugurated High Performance Centre at the Sports Authority of India’s Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports in Patiala.
Developed and completed last month at an estimated cost of Indian Rupees 22.83 Crore (approximately US$2.6 million), the state-of-the-art facility provides international-standard training infrastructure under one roof.
Currently 12 men and 12 women in the sabre discipline are training at the centre under head coach Sagar Lagu, as preparations intensify for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games in Japan later this year.
“Having an exclusive hall dedicated to fencing with all equipment in one place is something that makes it a one-of-a-kind in the entire country," coach Sagar noted.
“With my experience, I can say it is the best facility in India as of now. We started a national camp for the Asian Games with 24 athletes as soon as it was ready,” he added.
The centre features a fully functional multi-purpose indoor fencing hall equipped with international-standard pistes and electronic scoring systems, allowing athletes to train in a competition-simulated environment. It also integrates sports science support, advanced strength and conditioning facilities, and structured recovery systems to optimise athlete performance.
Fencing in India remains in a developmental stage, but has shown consistent progress on the international circuit. The leading name in Indian fencing is Bhavani Devi, who qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and became the only Indian fencer to win an Asian Championships medal claiming bronze in the individual event in 2023.
The country is yet to win an Asian Games medal in the sport.
