Touché celebrates the SUKMA journey

The long hours, blood, sweat and tears of training ultimately turned into moments of joy and excitement for the athletes of Touché Fencing Club at SUKMA XXII Selangor 2026.

Held from 15 to 24 August, the Malaysia Games brought together athletes from across the country for one of Malaysia’s largest multi-sport sporting events. SUKMA 2026 featured 37 sports and 469 events, while the overall participation included thousands of athletes and officials. Fencing was contested across 12 medal events covering men’s and women’s foil, épée and sabre.

For Touché, however, the Games represented much more than medals. The Selangor based club produced no fewer than 15 fencers for SUKMA 2026, with its athletes representing Selangor, Pahang, Melaka, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Perak in foil and épée.

"We are extremely proud of the achievements of our fencers. Not just those who win medals. They are all on their own journey, that means each and every one of them have developed their own style and flare. For some this was their first for others because of age it will be there last SUKMA. No two fencers are the same. That is the beauty of coaching a diverse group of fencers." commented Coach Mok of Touche Fencing Club.

The club’s contribution also extended beyond the piste. Touché seconded coaches to several state contingents, particularly giving younger coaches the opportunity to gain experience working within the SUKMA environment.

“As a club we made the strategic decision not to park our senior coaches to any state, especially because in the club environment they are training athletes from multiple states,” explained Coach Mok, who has accumulated multiple SUKMA medals during his long involvement in Malaysian fencing.

For Coach Mok, the relationship between clubs and state programmes remains central to the development of fencing in Malaysia.

“The structure of fencing in Malaysia is that you can't avoid clubs in the development of athletes. There are no states that have dedicated coaches that don't have their own clubs,” he said.

He said the growing involvement of the National Sports Council (MSN) at state level could eventually create opportunities for dedicated state coaching structures, but until then, clubs would continue to play an important role in developing athletes for state and national competition.

“Until then we will keep producing the young talent to feed into the various states,” he said.

That development model has been at the heart of Touché since it was established in 1992. The club describes itself as Malaysia’s first independent private fencing club and has developed athletes across all three weapons; foil, épée and sabre.

Founded by Mok Chek Wlong, who began fencing at the age of 13 and went on to represent Malaysia internationally, Touché has built a long record of developing competitive fencers. Coach Mok was also part of Malaysia’s historic 1989 SEA Games fencing campaign, when the country won one gold, two silver and five bronze medals.

The club’s coaching structure combines experienced fencing practitioners with internationally accredited coaches. Andrew Mok, the club’s head coach, is an FIE accredited coach and former MSN Selangor State Foil Coach, while Dr Bryan Mok has served as the MSN Malacca State Foil Coach and Coach Adleezan under MSN Pahang respectively.

Touché’s philosophy also extends beyond Malaysia. The club maintains relationships with fencing organisations and clubs in Asia and Europe, including France, allowing its athletes to undertake overseas training stints and participate in reciprocal exchanges.

“The world has become smaller,” said Coach Mok. “Our athletes regularly do short stints of training with affiliated clubs and reciprocal visits are commonplace.”

The club has also played a role in preparing international teams. Its facilities were recently used by the Jakarta team ahead of its national games, bringing together strong fencers across the disciplines for training in Malaysia.

Touché’s SUKMA journey therefore reflects a wider feature of Malaysian fencing: the close relationship between private clubs, state associations and national development. While athletes compete under different state colours at the Games, much of the technical and developmental work begins at club level.

For Touché, producing 15 fencers for SUKMA across six state contingents was therefore not simply a measure of participation. It was a reflection of a development pathway built over more than three decades, from introducing young athletes to the sport, to providing competitive training, international exposure and ultimately producing fencers capable of representing their states and Malaysia at the highest level.

For athletes, the SUKMA experience may have lasted only a few days. For the coaches and clubs behind them, it represented years of work and the beginning of the next generation’s journey.