Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024: schedule of events, history, everything you need to know about fencing

It's an ancient sport in which France excels: discover the history and workings of fencing, before following the events at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It's one of the sports we're always looking forward to at the Olympic and Paralympic Games: thefencing events in Paris are one of the must-see events at these JOP 2024. Fencing has been an Olympic sport since the very first modern Olympic Games, in 1896. Do you dream of watching fencing in 2024? Then come to the Grand Palais from July 27 to August 4, then from September 3 to 7, 2024.

Fencing is a combat sport, also considered an art. It is one of the oldest sports in the world: depictions of fencing are to be found in Egyptian tombs and among the Hittites. It's impossible to retrace the sport's rich history in detail.

In the West, fencing was first and foremost the art of wielding a weapon, and the art of self-defense. From the Middle Ages onwards, fencing became primarily useful: it was an essential apprenticeship for the military and thearistocracy. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, fencing gradually became a sport open to all.

From the very first edition of the Modern Games in 1896, fencing has been part of the festivities... But not entirely. Fencing can be practiced with three weapons: foil,épée and sabre. Only foil and sabre were initially accepted at the Olympic Games. Epee joined the competition in 1900. For women, it would be much longer before fencers could compete in the Olympic Games. Women's foil was included in 1924, women's épée in 1996 and women's sabre in 2004.

The Paralympic version of this sport is calledwheelchair fencing. This discipline was invented in England shortly after the Second World War, to aid the physical rehabilitation of injured and disabled veterans. The sport was included in the Paralympic Games for the first time in 1960.

The rules

In competition, fencing is contested according to age group and weapon. Each weapon has its own rules. In foil, you can only hit with the point, and only on your opponent's torso. You must have priority to be able to hit and score a point.

In epee fencing, you also hit with the point, but the whole body is a potential target. There is no convention of priority. Finally, the sabre is an estoc weapon, where you hit with the blade. As with foil, you must have priority in order to hit and score. With sabre, you can hit the torso, arms and head.

At the Olympic Games, foil and epee matches are fought with 15 touches and three three-minute periods. Sabre fencing involves eight touches in two periods. Team matches take place in relays: three fencers from the same team fight the three opposite, with a maximum of 45 touches.

In wheelchair fencing, opponents compete in a wheelchair fixed to the floor. The seats do not move, and the distance between the two fencers is set according to the shortest arm's reach. The touch zone differs according to the weapon: " In foil, the touch zone is limited to the trunk. In sabre, the touch zone is any portion of the body above the horizontal line drawn between the top of the folds formed by the fencer's thighs and trunk. In epee fencing, the touch zone is any part of the opponent's body above the waist; an apron worn below the waist helps to cancel these touches. "

In this Paralympic version, athletes are divided into two categories according to their disability:

Category A: fencers in this category must have a disability affecting at least one lower limb.
Category B: fencers in this category have a disability that does not allow voluntary mobility of the trunk.

The records

France is particularly gifted and rewarded in fencing at the Olympic Games. " Fencing is the most decorated French sport in the history of the Olympic Games, with 128 medals, including 43 titles ", says the French Fencing Federation. Fencing is one of the few sports where refereeing in international competitions is carried out in French!

Yet France is not the only country to stand out in this discipline. Italy's Nedo Nadi is the only fencer to have won an Olympic medal in all three weapons: he triumphed in 1920 in epee, foil and sabre! History also remembers the name of his compatriot, Edoardo Mangiarotti, who still holds the record for the most Olympic fencing medals (6 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze in epee and foil). In fact, Italy and France often battle it out for first place on the medal table.

French fencers have thus left their mark on the history of French sport. They include Roger Ducret, Philippe Cattiau and Laura Flessel, the most decorated Frenchmen at the Olympic Games. But the younger generation is already making waves. In 2022, the French team comprising Romain Cannone, Yannick Borel, Alex Fava and Alexandre Bardenet was crowned world champion. Enough to give us hope for the Paris Olympics!

Why not become a fencer too?

Fencing: where to learn and practice this sport in Paris and the Ile-de-France region?
Fencing is a sport we all dream about. How about learning to handle the sword, sabre or foil? Here are the clubs in the Paris region where you can learn and practice fencing. [Read more]