What is Fencing?
Fencing is a combat sport in which two athletes use swords to attack and defend against one another with the aim of striking their opponent in order to score points.
The three disciplines of modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also called saber). Each discipline uses a different kind of blade (which shares the same name) and has unique rules.
By whom, where and when was Fencing invented?
Evidence of sword fights goes back as far as Ancient Egypt in 1190 BC with bouts and duels continuing until the 18th century.
Fencing was originally a form of military training and started to evolve into a sport in the 14th or 15th century in both Germany and Italy.
German fencing masters organised the first guilds, the most notable being the Marxbrueder of Frankfurt in 1478.
The sport's popularity increased in the 17th and 18th centuries due to the invention of a weapon with a flattened tip known as the foil, a set of rules governing the target area, and a wire-mesh mask.
The first formal fencing competition - the Grand Military Tournament and Assault at Arms - was held in London in 1880; sixteen years later the Amateur Gymnastic and Fencing Association (now British Gymnastics) drew up official regulations for the sport - the same year fencing appeared at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
What are the rules of Fencing?
A fencing bout involves two fencers and a referee. The objective is for an athlete to land hits or ‘touches’ with their sword on designated areas of their opponent’s body in order to score points. All three disciplines take place on a piste which is 14m long and 1.5m-2m wide. Retreating off the end of the piste results in a point to the opponent. Each touch is worth one point, and each bout is separated into three periods of three minutes (with a one-minute break between periods). The first competitor to reach 15 points - or the athlete in the lead when the third period is completed - is declared the winner.
In team competition, each member of one team faces each member of the other team once (for a total of nine bouts). Each bout is three minutes long, or to 5 points, with the score carrying over between bouts. If the ninth bout is completed and neither team has 45 points, the team with the most points is declared the winner.
What are the different types of Fencing?
The three different types of fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre. Each of the three disciplines uses a different blade with the foil employing a light thrust-type weapon, the épée using a heavier thrust-type weapon and the sabre using a light cutting and thrust-type weapon.
Fencing and the Olympics
Fencing is just one of five sports which have been permanent fixtures at the Olympic Games since the first modern Games were held in 1896. Only three events were contested at the 1896 Games in Athens (men’s individual foil, men’s individual sabre, masters foil), but that number has since increased to 12, with men’s and women’s individual and team competitions for each discipline.
Best fencers to watch
With modern fencers typically specialising in one discipline, there are a number of world-class athletes in the sport to keep an eye on.
Romain Cannone (France), who won individual and team épée gold at the world championships in 2022 to go along with the individual épée gold he secured at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021 and three-time Olympic medallist and 2019 world champion Sun Yiwen (People’s Republic of China) are just two of the top names in the sport who will likely be competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Fencing competition rules and event format at Paris 2024
The fencing events of Paris 2024, took place between 27 July and 4 August 2024.
The Olympic fencing competition at Paris 2024 featured 12 medal events, with the same weapons used for both genders:
- Individual Epée (Women’s/Men’s)
- Individual Foil (Women’s/Men’s)
- Individual Sabre (Women’s/Men’s)
- Team Epée (Women’s/Men’s)
- Team Foil (Women’s/Men’s)
- Team Sabre (Women’s/Men’s)
The competition followed a direct-elimination format, requiring athletes or teams to win each bout to advance. A single loss meant elimination, except in the semi-finals. Semi-final losers competed for the bronze medal, while winners advanced to the gold-medal match.
Qualified fencers were placed in draws based on their discipline, with seeding determined by rankings from the Federation Internationale d'Escrime.
