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FIRST ON FOX: USA Fencing is looking to the future and expanding its presence at the collegiate level, following a year marked by controversies and lawsuits regarding trans athletes in women’s competitions and the replacement of its board president.
In October, former President Damien Lehfeldt declined to run for office, and in a statement announcing his decision, he wrote: “I am not committed to spending my nights and weekends dealing with lawsuits, death threats and distractions.” Paralympic medalist Dr. Scott Rodgers has been elected as the organization’s new president, becoming the first active athlete and first para fencer to lead the board of directors.
“USA Fencing remains deeply committed to earning and maintaining the trust of our athletes, our fans and the broader fencing community. The election of Dr. Scott Rodgers as Chairman of the Board of Directors reflects our commitment to athlete-centered governance and the continued growth of fencing at all levels,” the organization said in a statement to PK Press Club Digital.
“We recognize the challenges of the past few months and strive to move forward with integrity, transparency and a clear vision for the future.”
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Maia Mei Weintraub (USA) competes against FP in the women’s foil team gold medal match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Grand Palais. (Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports)
USA Fencing will expand the sport to the NCAA level, announcing that Arcadia University in Pennsylvania and Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey will add men’s and women’s fencing teams to its varsity sports, beginning in fall 2027.
“In a year when some of college athletics has contracted, adding fencing spots is a win for access, community and the collegiate model,” Brad Suchorski, USA Fencing’s director of membership, services and growth, said in an announcement about Arcadia’s expansion.
The governing body is also partnering with educational software company Rosetta Stone, which specializes in courses to help its users learn other languages, which will be offered to its athletes at a discounted rate for foreign language learning assistance while traveling to international competitions.
U.S. OLYMPIAN AND OTHER FENCERS FILE CLASS ACTION AGAINST U.S. FENCING OVER ALLEGED TRANS ATHLETE INCIDENT
USA Fencing will look to close out 2025 on a high note after several controversies surrounding trans athletes led to public backlash, two lawsuits and a congressional hearing.
In April, fencer Stephanie Turner drew attention to the organization’s policies that allow biological males to compete in women’s competitions when she posted images of herself kneeling to protest a trans opponent. Turner was disqualified and kicked out of the event as the footage went viral and sparked criticism from President Donald Trump’s administration.
The incident prompted a federal subpoena for Lehfeldt to appear at a congressional hearing to explain the organization’s policy toward transgender athletes on May 7.
Then, in June, Andrey Geva, a former U.S. Olympic fencing coach and board member, and Abdel Salem, a former Olympic fencer, sued Lehfeldt for allegedly making “false statements” during the hearing, and claimed that the transgender eligibility policy was causing athletes to deregister with USA Fencing.
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Lauren Scruggs (USA) competes against Alice Volpi (ITA) in the women’s foil team gold medal match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Grand Palais. (Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports)
In October, Olympic fencer Margherita Guzzi Vincenti, who represented the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics, filed another lawsuit against USA Fencing, alleging that several biological male trans athletes competed against women and girls at the North American Cup in Kansas City in January, without the competitors knowing the trans athletes’ birth sex.
USA Fencing was one of the first American sports governing bodies to update its gender eligibility policy to allow only biological females to compete in the women’s division after the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) changed its athlete safety policy to ensure compliance with Trump’s executive order “Keep Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
