“Cardiff is going to be amazing,”: Blackpool’s Justine Moore excited by Para Fencing European Championships

Justine Moore hopes the European Championships coming to Cardiff can continue her trailblazing work inspiring the next generation of para fencing talent, writes WILL JENNINGS.

The Blackpool star, 33, competed for ParalympicsGB back at London 2012 and will now be one of 14 British athletes descending on the Welsh capital next week.

Away from the piste, Moore gives motivational speeches at schools around the North West and is passionate about growing the profile of both fencing plus parasport in general.

The first European Championships in the UK since Sheffield in 2011 will continue that trend and Moore, who won a silver and two bronzes at a recent satellite competition in Turkey, is relishing the prospect of being part of it.

“Cardiff is going to be amazing,” she said.

“I’m really passionate about inspiring the younger generation – I go into schools to talk about it and it’s really nice when you see your influence make someone else take up the sport.

“I’m all down for it, helping the younger generation come into the sport and give them advice.

“I started doing my talks and then went to London 2012, and now I go into different schools to talk about it. It’s definitely something I enjoy.”

Next week’s event will take place at the Sport Wales National Centre and marks the first time the European Championships have been held in Cardiff.

Having represented ParalympicsGB during that storied London summer 14 years ago, Moore is one of the more experienced members of an otherwise youthful British team competing in Cardiff.

She will be joined by competitors including Paralympic champions Dimitri Coutya and Piers Gilliver, while women’s teammates Emily Holder and Gemma Collis recently won a historic silver medal at a World Cup event in Indonesia.

Moore hailed the unity of the group and hopes weeks of preparation, plus familiarity with the venue after a Cardiff World Cup event in 2022, can propel them to success.

“We’re all open to give advice and help each other throughout,” she added.

“We all have a good connection – if someone is struggling on something we help to break it down into scenario work to make both of us better.

“I’ve been training really hard and feel like I’m ready and focused for Cardiff.

“We’ve been in the venue before so know what to expect – I’m feeling really excited to go back, compete and do my best.”

The Para Fencing European Championships will be held in Cardiff on the 6th-11th October 2026, seeing athletes from across Europe compete in the first qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. For more information and tickets visit here