All competitions will be shown live at World Abilitysport’s YouTube channel, with expert commentary from Paralympians Cyril More and Lauryn DeLuca and Olympic and Paralympic fencing commentator, Karim Bashir. 

Here is a quick look at how competition is shaping-up in the sabre. 

Women’s sabre 

China’s Haiyan Gu, Poland’s King Drozdz and Georgia’s Nino Tibilashvili were the podium finishers at Paris 2024 in the women’s category A and will all make an appearance in Iksan. 

Gu was the winner 12 months ago but Drozdz currently sits atop the world rankings having finished on three World Cup podiums since Paris. 

Tibilashvili has also been very busy since Paris with a trio of her own World Cup medals. 

In the category B, Thailand’s Saysunee Jana is one of the women to watch. 

Jana did not medal in sabre at the last World Championships in 2023 but went on to win the Paralympic title in the weapon as well as the foil and epee. 

China’s Xiao Rong is the defending champion whilst 2023 silver medallists Olena Fedota-Isaieva of Ukraine and bronze medallist Irma Khetsuriani of Georgia are all in the running once again in Iksan. 

Men’s sabre 

Maurice Schmidt’s celebration on winning gold at Paris 2024 was one of the moments of the Games last year and the German will be hoping for a repeat performance as he tries to clinch his first world title. 

Great Britain’s Piers Gilliver finished with silver in Paris as he did at the 2023 Worlds, cementing his position as a top sabreist. The pair could face off once again in Korea.  

Also waiting in the wings will be Italy’s Edoardo Giordan, the Paralympic and World Championships bronze medallist. 

Multiple Paralympic and World Championships podium finisher Yanke Feng of China remains a top contender in the category B. 

Team sabre 

In the men’s team sabre, China are the defending champions whilst Italy and France grabbed silver and bronze in 2023. The hosts of Paris 2024, France, will try to continue that form as will Italy who staged the last Worlds in Terni. 

China, Ukraine and Poland, in that order, were the top three from the women’s team sabre in 2023. 

The Iksan 2025 Para Fencing World Championships will feature 240 fencers vying for medals in the men’s epee and foil category A, B and C, women’s epee and foil category A and B, men’s and women’s sabre category A and B as well as men’s and women’s team events, between 2-7 September. 

Iksan 2025 takes place exactly one year after the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and three years before the LA 2028 Paralympics.