Two young and talented British cadet foilists have received a SportAid Backing the Best award for their outstanding potential.
Mohammed Belbouab and Khalam Contractor have received the award from UK Sport Aid because of their outstanding ability and now, thanks to the award, are able to compete in the Commonwealth Championships. The triennial (occasionally quadrennial) competition is taking place in Christchurch, New Zealand in mid-July, only a week or so before the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games in Paris. With the exceptional results for GBR’s cadet and junior athletes in the past season, there are a lot of expectations on the young fencers making the trip.
Needless to say, a trip to New Zealand for a week is not a cheap undertaking for any athlete. The Backing the Best Award is designed to support young talented athletes who due to financial constraints may not be able to compete or train in their sport. The scheme was introduced in 2016 after new research conducted by Leeds Beckett University showed that the rising cost of sports had led to athletes dropping out.
Both young athletes will receive a grant of up to £5,000 that will assist with the essential costs of the trip such as travel and accommodation.
Both Mohammed,14 and Khalam, 16, are coached by former Olympic fencer Linda Strachan at Newham Swords in East London. She and her partner Pierre Harper, also an Olympian, manage the club. Running since 2005, it has a reputation for developing international-level fencers.
Newham Swords is a community club focused on youth athletes, with the support of local government. Many are from mixed ethnic backgrounds, and the majority are from single parent families or low income backgrounds. The club was referred to by Sir Robin Wales, the Mayor of Newham, as “a shining local example of a sports legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games.”
“Both Khalam and Mohammed come from a background where money isn’t there.” said Strachan. “I’ve had to turn down selections when I was a fencer because of lack of money. So, we helped them along. They were both selected for the East London Sports and Talent Pathway and with their help we managed to get the boys the grant.”
East London Sports and Talent Pathway (ELSTP) aims to diversify the elite talent pools by providing young people from diverse backgrounds with the support needed to reach success within their sport. It also has a focus on increasing access to ‘alternative’ sports – which includes fencing.
Louis Annan is the head of ELSTP and welcomed the boys onto the pathway in early 2023. The pathway offers many services to young athletes, also working closely with parents, providing them with bespoke support. Funded by Sport England, it is currently helping around 80 young athletes on their journey into high-level competition.
During this support, Louis learned the financial difficulties both boys’ parents were facing. “We worked closely with Sports England, and we sat down with SportsAid and Backing the Best. We managed to get emergency funding so they could go to New Zealand.”
“This struck close to my heart. I grew up playing basketball in one of the roughest areas in London. Being a young black boy in a rough area is tough. I didn’t have this kind of support. I know my parents did their best for me then, and that is exactly what Mohammed and Khalam’s parents are doing for them now. It’s heartbreaking when parents tell me they can’t afford to send their children to competitions. To get the confirmation that they’d received the award was a nice feeling”.
Mohammed began his fencing journey aged just seven, his love for swordplay sparked from watching Pirates of the Caribbean.
“Mohammed is a one off.” Linda Strachan says, “I started coaching him at the age of eight. He’s the youngest ever British fencer to be selected for team Great Britain, aged just 12. This is the 20th year we’ve run the fencing club and we’ve never seen anybody quite like him.”
Sylvie, Mohammed’s mum, explains that her husband had become unwell, so the family’s main provider was unable to work.
“As a parent, you want to support your child as much as you can, especially when you see that they love the sport they they’re good at what they’re doing, they’re progressing. Sometimes you don’t have the money to do that. And it’s frustrating as a parent when you can’t afford to send your child to competitions. The award was a huge relief for us.”
Both athletes have been competing on the EFC circuit this past season. Both Mohammed and Khalam competed in the European Championships in Naples in February 2024. Both were part of the cadet foil team along with Luca Floria and David Kelly, where the GBR team finished a creditable 6th of 19 teams. Mohammed will also be attending the World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in April 2024.
Mohammed describes his first experience competing in the Euros as a positive one. “I didn’t really know what to expect because I’ve never been to the European Championships. But once I got there, it was very exciting and a good experience overall. I liked how I was always with my squad and part of a team, rather than being there on my own. We train together and go out to dinner together, with our coaches.” For Mohammed the award has made him more motivated than ever.
Khalam is currently balancing life as a full-time student alongside fencing. He is studying Sports Science at college in London. Khalam’s journey began at just six years old, when he and his family accidently stumbled into the world of fencing, having never been aware of it before. The family were lucky enough to live near Newham Swords, who train at the local leisure and one day, their father saw “a bunch of kids fencing.” “Previously, everything we did was for boys football and basketball. And he thought, oh, you know, the boys might really like this. So we brought them in for a trial free trial lesson. And they absolutely loved it.” Soon enough, Khalam and his brothers started at the club, where he immediately fell in love with the sport.
Khalam is one of four siblings. His mum, Hoa Contractor, was worried about how Khalam’s fencing costs were rising. “When the opportunity of the Commonwealth Championships came up, we couldn’t afford another trip abroad, let alone all the way to New Zealand for one week. None of the boys have ever been entered into a competition that far away. It just wasn’t going to happen.”
“It’s what’s going to make him be a little bit more grown up where he has to organise all of these things because at some point, I will be stepping away and he will have to deal with all of that himself. But I would like to see him progress naturally into the juniors and then to any competitions he has to do and to perform to the best of his abilities.”
“That’s what got ELSTP to really help find us the funding. Now Khalam can take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity. One day, it’ll be something he’ll tell his grandchildren, let alone his children. It’s going to mean so much to him.” ⚔️