A new sport at the Medieval

If Modern Sword Fighting was born in Russia in 2011, it quickly spread to fifteen countries. He arrived in France in 2016 and has more and more followers. The number of clubs increases every year.

If two clubs will soon open in Bordeaux and Millau, the Béhourd company Les Ours de Bigorre is the only existing club in the South West, based in Argelès-Gazost.

The youngsters are trained by Jean-Marc Mondin. « It’s a sport that may seem fun, and it is, but when you want to reach a certain level you need a lot of skill, endurance and quick reflexes. » The MFS is therefore primarily aimed at young people. Derived from behourd, it is a combat sport but not really violent, with a shield and a dummy sword. The equipment is lighter than in behourd, the armors and protections are in modern materials.

Thibault Duversin is part of the Club des Ours de Bigorre. At 9 years old, he is passionate about MFS, so much so that he asked to attend the European tournament last June organized by the Ecuyers du Marchidial in Champeix in the Puy de Dôme. « We were very well received by the Ecuyers, explains his mother. They even gave some MFS advice to Thibault before the competition. »

Thibault participates with enthusiasm but he would never have expected to win the team gold medal and the individual bronze medal. « We really came there out of curiosity, to test the waters. »

Les Ecuyers du Marchidial will be present at the Medieval d’Esterre with the support of the FFMSF as was already planned two years ago if the covid had not played its own.

This will be an opportunity for visitors to discover this very pleasant sport and to learn about this type of combat where courtesy remains the rule.