There will be 145 competitors in all at the Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva in Havana for two days of women's épée action.

All four medallists from last year's World Championships in German city Leipzig will be present, including champion Tatyana Gudkova of Russia.

She will be joined by silver medallist Ewa Nelip of Poland and the two competitors who shared bronze - Olena Kryvytska of Ukraine and Estonia's Julia Beljajeva.

The two athletes who have won World Cup legs so far this season will also be in action looking for more success.

China's Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Sun Yiwen will look to back-up her home win in Suzhou while Italy's Mara Navarria came out on top in Estonia's capital Tallinn.

Navarria's team-mate Rossella Fiamingo, the Olympic silver medallist at Rio 2016, is also lining up in Havana.

The event in Cuba will conclude with the final rounds on Saturday (January 20).

Men's foil action will also take place from tomorrow with the Challenge International de Paris event beginning in the French capital.

Three of the four World Championship medallists from Leipzig will be present, including gold medallist Dmitry Zherebchenko of Russia and silver medallist Toshiya Saito of Japan.

Italy's Daniele Garozzo, the Rio 2016 champion who shared world bronze, has also been named, alongside Olympic silver medallist Alexander Massialas of the United States and Timur Safin of Russia, who was third in the Brazilian city.

Home French hopes could lie with Erwann Le Pechoux, who won World Cup gold in Tokyo earlier this season.

Britain's Richard Kruse, the gold medallist at the World Cup in Le Caire in Egypt, will also compete in Paris.

In all, 249 fencers have entered the men's event which will also conclude on Saturday.