Sportcal will conduct a bespoke GSI Event Study on the World Fencing Championships 2017 taking place in Leipzig, Germany
FIE, the world governing body for the sport of fencing, has signed a one-year agreement for Sportcal to undertake a GSI Event Study, with an 
additional focus on media impact, on the World Fencing Championships taking place in Leipzig, Germany, from 19 to 26 July this year.
The World Fencing Championships were first hosted in 1921 in Paris, France. In 2017, Leipzig is hosting the event for the second time, after previously hosting in 2005. For Germany, this is the fourth edition in total that they've hosted, following 1978 (Hamburg), 1993 (Essen) and 2005.
The event, which will be held at the 8,000-capacity Arena Leipzig, is expected to draw up to 900 athletes from over 100 nations for the eight-day competition.
Through the GSI Event Study, FIE will learn more about the economic, media, social media, sponsorship, sporting and social impacts of the World Fencing Championships, plus key data comparisons with other sporting world championships.
FIE Secretary General, Emmanuel Katsiadakis, said:
"The International Fencing Federation deeply values the perspective and insight provided by GSI studies, in particular to aid us in understanding the benefits and effects of our world events on host cities around the world. The data and analysis from GSI enables optimal development and execution of major fencing competitions by helping us learn from our experiences and applying that information to future endeavors. The result is to have qualified interpretation and comparative perspectives of our competitions based on facts and qualified data, which is essential in building our future and growing our sport."
Sportcal will work in collaboration with key stakeholders involved in staging the event, including FIE; the event organiser and national federation; host city; sponsors; broadcasters and any third party organisations to gather, assimilate, analyse and compare the data and narrative around the event.
Mike Laflin, CEO and Founder of Sportcal and the GSI Project, stated:
"We are extremely pleased to be working with the International Fencing Federation on a GSI Event Study on the World Fencing Championships in Leipzig, Germany, this year. The World Fencing Championships have a rich history and like many world championships bring a huge amount of impact to a host city with over 900 athletes, plus coaches and officials, descending on the city for eight days of competition. This study will help FIE understand more about the holistic impacts of the championships, and help it in its event planning and host bidding for the future."
Sportcal, the world's leading provider of sports market intelligence, will conduct the study as part of the GSI Event Studies Programme which runs from 2017 through to 2020.
GSI Event Studies Programme 2017-2020:
Sportcal is embarking upon a four-year programme during the 2017-2020 Olympic cycle, which will bring federations, rights owners, host cities, governments and key stakeholders together to work with Sportcal and engage in the GSI Project.
The programme will involve the development of annual studies from a diverse range of sports and events, to help event owners and hosts understand the true impact of their events across a wide range of sectors, and to support them in the further development of their event strategies.
For further information about the GSI Project and how to join the GSI Event Studies Programme, contact gsi@sportcal.com or call +44 (0) 20 8944 8786