The man responsible for turning Hong Kong into a fencing powerhouse believes a new global competition can only be good for athletes in the city and beyond, while world No 1 Ryan Choi Chun-yin said he would “do it again” in a heartbeat.

Hongkonger Choi captained Team Shield to a 5-1 victory over Team Blade in the inaugural World Fencing League event in Los Angeles on Sunday, which along with a prize fund of US$100,000 (HK$780,000) drew almost 6,000 spectators, including Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton, to the Shrine Auditorium and Exhibition Hall.

As head coach of the Hong Kong foil team, Greg Koenig has helped turn Choi into a world champion and Cheung Ka-long into a double Olympic gold medallist, and he said the new league was a “positive move” for the sport.

“It brings fencing into a more modern era, with technology and a new way to engage audiences,” Koenig added. “At the end of the day, the more visibility fencing gets, the better it is for everyone.”

However, the Frenchman, who began coaching in Hong Kong in 2018, believed any evolution must “stay true” to fencing.

“Fencing hasn’t just started evolving recently; it has been evolving for over a century,” the 47-year-old said. “The introduction of electrical scoring was already a major revolution, completely changing the way the sport is practised and refereed.