The joint bid, which was admired by the majority of the General Assembly members for the constant coordination and cooperation between the two nations, won 22 out of 29 votes to beat fellow candidates China, Thailand and Uzbekistan.

Saudi Arabia is scheduled to stage the men's completion and Bahrain will host the women's division events.

Shaikh Ebrahim bin Salman Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Fencing Association (BFA), expressed his pride for the achievement and said he was pleased by the constructive cooperation with the President of the Saudi Arabian Fencing Federation, Sami Al Bakr.

Fencing featured at the recent Asian Games in Incheon ©Getty Images




He also stressed the long-term importance of the partnership in encouraging future joint bids from Gulf Cooperation Council fencing federations and thanked Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, for supporting sporting events which involve the Bahraini youth.

BFA general secretary Saleh Al Faraj believes the availability of modern sports facilities affirms Bahrain's ability to hold the Championships.