Kazakhstan Tops FIE World Rankings for First Time in History

Kazakhstan's men's sabre team has reached first place in the world rankings of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) for the first time in the country's fencing history, Egemen Qazaqstan reports. The result follows a series of major international wins over the past 12 months.

The decisive step was a gold medal at a World Cup event in Casablanca, Morocco, at the start of the 2026/27 season. Earlier wins included the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2025, the Asian title in New Delhi, India, in June 2026, and the world championship gold in Hong Kong, China, in July.

In Casablanca, the team beat Russia 45-40 in the final. Federation president Mirbulat Abuov congratulated the team and singled out the role of young athletes in the renewed lineup. Japan and South Korea had previously been the only Asian countries to reach the top of the rankings.