Fencing is one of just four sports at the Olympic Games to have featured at every modern Games.
2012 Summer Olympic Fencing Events Key facts
Venue: ExCeL
Dates: Saturday 28 July – Sunday 5 August
Gold medals: 10
Athletes: 212
Fencing: A history of the sport
Fencing has its roots in ancient sword fighting. As a sport, it began in the 17th century when the ‘foil’ – a sword with a flattened tip – was invented as a practice weapon to help duellers prepare for their deadly contests. A set of rules was soon developed, followed by wire-mesh face masks, which made it a safe activity.
Fencing at the Games
Fencing was the first to include professionals in medal competition, after Games founder Pierre de Coubertin arranged special ‘masters’ events in Athens 1896 and Paris 1900.
Women’s Fencing first appeared at the Paris 1924 Games, while women’s Epée was added to the programme in Atlanta 1996. Sabre is the newest addition – it joined in Athens 2004.
How to play – and win
A Fencing bout lasts for three three-minute rounds. It takes place on a ‘piste’ – a narrow strip that is 14 metres (46 feet) in length. There are three types of weapon used – Foil, Epée and Sabre – with a separate competition for each.
Fencers score points by touching their opponent’s body with the tip of their sword, or often with the edge of the blade in Sabre. Each competitor is wired up to a system that records when they’ve been hit.
In Team events, three fencers face each member of the other team. The bout is decided by the combined total of hits at the end.
Jargon buster
* En garde: French for ‘on guard’ – the position that fencers take before a bout begins
* Bout: A Fencing match
* Fleche: A running attack
* Lunge: The basic attack in Fencing where a fencer moves his front leg forward while keeping his back leg still.
* Parry: A defensive action used to block an opponent’s blade
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