Those are the words used to describe historical fencing by the deputy director of the Directorate of the 2nd European Games, Anatol Katou, on the website of said European games here.

Yes, this is an article about the HEMA Minsk tournament and exhibition in the continental Olympic games in Belarus this year.

The event fits well with the overall concept of a multisports games by showing the link between tradition and modernity. Sports fans will have a wonderful opportunity to feel and interact with the atmosphere in which these difficult but beautiful competitions originated. In addition to the exhibition, there will be a tournament and interactive features.

There are also gonna be reconstructed interiors of training halls from the XV-XVI centuries. I mean… yeah. How awesome can it get?

The event that gathers over 130 fighters from around the world – or “masters” of historical fencing, as the article calls them – has officially been included in the games today. The full title is “Invitational Galà Tournament. Hema in the Cultural Program of the 2nd European Games Minsk 2019”.

One of the key known organizers, known Italian instructor Roberto Gotti, describes the event as “the most iconic project ever implemented in historical fencing around the world”.

That is ambitious.

In this case, martial arts will tell the story of Europe, starting from prehistoric times until the twentieth century.

he adds.

The exhibition of weapons and other awesome stuff starts in a few days, April 27, and continues on until the 10th of September. The tournament itself is at the end of June.

This desciption of HEMA, while incomplete, emphasizes the best stuff in our art, from my perspective.

Yes, the Minsk event is one of the good things happening in HEMA. Yes, it will probably be an amazing experience (which I will be lucky enough to share in).

Perhaps sobering is the dry, accidental humor of the last sentence:

As previously reported, the cultural program of the 2nd European Games will also include petanque performances and eSports.