Havana -  A total of 180 fencers confirmed its participation in the Grand Prix Villa de La Habana (Grand Prix Havana) of fencing, from March 11 to 13, announced Zuleidis Ortiz, national commissioner of this discipline.

In statements to the Cuban News Agency, Ortiz added that 100 men and 80 women ratified their assistance to the tournament, among them some of the best fencers of the world, included Italian Elissa Di Francisca and Russian Dimitri Rigin, champions last year.

Cuban exhibition site Pabexpo will receive the competition once again, but this time the Gerardo Abreu Fontán Social Club will be a subhead office on Friday and Saturday.

According to Ortiz, the Cuban team will be formed with nine males and seven females, who have as a main target to classify to the round of the best 64, and accumulate points for the world ranking.

Also, the tournament will be of a lot of importance for them to, with view to the tournament classifying for the Olympic Games from the Pan-American area, to be celebrated in Costa Rica from April 15 to April 17.

Ortiz made sure that the fencers of the island are preparing themselves very well and with a lot of desire to improve the performance of the previous year.

Among the best male representaitves, she mentioned Michel Carty, Riuben Jay and Leandro Ramos, and Elizabeth Hidalgo and Ángela Neivis, among the female athletes.

The Havana Grand Prix will have the honor to gather Di Francisca (Italy), Russian Inna Deriglazova, silver in the previous edition of the tournament, male fencers Race Imboden (USA), Alexander Masialas (US, silver medalist last year) and Italian Daniel Garozzo.