Fencing’s origins can be found in swordplay, which has been practised for thousands of years—as evidenced by the discovery of carvings depicting fencers that date to around 1190 BCE which were discovered in a temple near Luxor, Egypt.
Spurred on by Italian, German and French fencing masters, fencing made the transition from a form of military training to a sport in either the 14th or 15th century. Fencing is now practised all over the world, generating fierce competition not only in Europe but also in Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Africa; the International Fencing Federation is now made up of 157 national federation members.
Brief overview of the rules
In fencing, two competitors, each holding a weapon in one hand, face each other to strike their opponent on a valid target area of the body. The rules differ according to the type of weapon used. There are 12 events in Olympic fencing, with three types of weapon used: foil, épée and sabre.
Hits made with the point (tip), edge, or back of the blade are counted as valid in sabre, with the target area including the entire torso above the waist, as well as the head and arms. In épée and foil, fencers only score when they strike their opponent with the point of their weapon. In épée the target area covers the entire body from the mask down to the feet, while in foil the target area is the trunk only (torso, shoulders and neck). The first fencer to reach 15 points, or scores the most points at the completion of three three-minute rounds, wins the match. In team fencing, the first team to score 45 points, or the team leading when time runs out, wins.
Olympic history
Fencing is a long-standing Olympic sport, as evidenced by its presence on the Olympic programme since the inaugural modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Women’s fencing entered the Games in 1924 in Paris. Today, men and women compete in individual and team events. Previously, foil was the only women’s fencing event until the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games when women’s épée was added, while women’s sabre was added for the first time at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
Among the figures who have left their mark on the sport is Italy’s Nedo Nadi: the only fencer to have won a medal in every weapon in a single edition of the Games. In 1912, at 18 years old, he won gold in the foil. Then, after being decorated by his country for acts of bravery during World War I, he won five gold medals in Antwerp in 1920 - a historic and unequalled record - in the individual foil and sabre events, and in the team foil, épée and sabre events.
