Albuquerque, NM – The Albuquerque Convention Center will host more than 1,000 youth fencers from across the country during the Junior Olympic competition this weekend, February 13 – 16, 2009.
The United States Fencing Association, in coordination with the Albuquerque Visitors Bureau and local club, Duke City Fencing, will oversee this four-day competition.  The competition is a prestigious annual event for fencers between the ages of 13 and 19.  This event takes place each February with numerous cities vying for the chance to host the event.  The Albuquerque Convention Center has hosted two highly successful fencing events in past years and is poised to do it again.  

This Junior Olympics will determine which skilled young fencers qualify for U.S. World Teams.  They also can earn national rankings, impress college coaches and generally test their mettle against other fencers from around the country. Each day of the competition, four complete events will take place.  It takes between four and six hours to whittle down the 100+ contestants in each event to produce a first place champion. 
According to the Visit Albuquerque, the event is expected to generate 3,138 hotel room nights and $934,800 in direct spending in Albuquerque.
Spectators are welcome to watch the competition for free.  Events begin daily at 8:00am and run until approximately 4:00pm.  The competition will be held in the East Hall of the Convention Center, located in downtown Albuquerque on Second and Tijeras.
For additional information on the Junior Olympics fencing competition, contact Toby Tolley at 505-872-0048 or visit www.dukecityfencing.net