Swordplay is where fencing originated, and swordplay has been practiced for thousands of years. This is shown by the discovery of carvings in a temple near Luxor, Egypt, that date around 1190 BCE and represent fencers.
In the 14th or 15th century, fencing moved from a military training method to an activity, driven by masters of the discipline from Italy, Germany, and France. Currently, fencing is practiced worldwide, leading to intense competition in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Europe. The International Fencing Federation now has 157 national federation members.
History of Fencing
As seen by being included on the Olympic schedule since the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, fencing is a long-standing Olympic sport. Fencing for women was added to the Games in Paris in 1924. Both men and women play in both team and individual sports these days.
Women's epee was introduced to the Olympic program in Atlanta in 1996, replacing foil as the sole women's fencing sport. Women's sabre was introduced at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Nedo Nadi, an Italian fencer who is the only individual to have won a medal in every weapon in a single Games edition, is one of the icons of the sport. At the age of eighteen, he won gold in the foil in 1912.
Rules of Fencing
In fencing, two participants square up to hit their opponent on an approved region of the body while each holds a weapon in one hand. The regulations vary based on the kind of weapon being used. Olympic fencing consists of twelve events and three different weapon types: epee, sabre, and foil.
For this reason hits with the point (tip), edge, or back of the blade are considered valid, and the target area consists of the head, arms, and the full body above the waist. Fencing competitors only receive points in epee and foil when they hit their opponent with the point of their weapon.
Olympic Fencing Competition
Individual events
Olympic fencing competitions have a single-elimination bracket-style format in which competitors must win their matches to move on to the next round. The global governing body of fencing, the FIE, determines a fencer's initial seeding.
Nine minutes are provided for events, with three three-minute sections and a minute break in between. The winner is the fencer who leads after the third session or the first to score 15 touches. If it's a final, that fencer either gets to move on to the next round or gets awarded a medal.
Team events
The Olympic Games team fencing competitions likewise use a single-elimination format, with teams of three fencers competing against teams from other countries to advance. Games are played to forty-five touches.
Nine bouts form a team match, where each member of one team competes once against each member of the other team.