Metro Blades was established in 1987 when three people met in Toronto and found they had several things in common, including originating from Hong Kong and being fencing enthusiasts!

A photograph of some of the original Metro Blades members taken in 2000. (front left-right) Inglin Li, Harold Chung, Roy Shen. (back) Wally Yeung.

They were: Matthew Chan, an Olympian in Hong Kong, plus Roy Shen and Wally Yeung, recently returned from studying in Scotland. A great kinship arose between the three, and they decided to form a fencing club in Toronto.

Thus began the life of Metro Blades Fencing Club, so named by Matthew Chan, and it became the first community-based foil club in Toronto. To further the club and the sport of fencing in general, Matthew, Wally and Roy were involved in Continuing Education programs for the City of Toronto, North York and York regions, as well as running programs at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora. Over the years, these programs helped to introduce fencing to the border communities of the Greater Metropolitan area.

In the early nineties, Matthew retired to spend more time with a growing family, and Wally and Roy returned to Hong Kong to seek their fortune. Metro Blades went through some lean years, but then Joseph Cheng stepped in as Club President to keep it going, and he has stuck around ever since. Also during that time several experienced fencers from other clubs, including Raymond Chan and Tom Partington, joined Metro Blades to fulfill our coaching needs.

Since then, under the direction of former Presidents Robert Indrigo (1997-2002), and continuing with Sascha Brock (2002-2008), the club has grown and expanded to include over 40 competitive and recreational members. We take pride in continuing our founders’ traditions with our ties to the community and our emphasis on outreach programs. The current Club President is Lucie Hamelin.

Club Founders

• Matthew Chan
• Roy Shen
• Wally Yeung