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Fencing is a unique sport in which two competitors fight one against the other using bladed weapons. Each fencer attempts to touch the other with the tip of his/her weapon to score touches, or points.

OLYMPIC GAMES WINNERS OF OLYMPIC MEDALS

WEAPONS Fencers can use three different weapons: a foil, an épée or a sabre.

A fencer must touch his opponent in an approved target zone of the body to register a point, with the target changing depending on the weapon used. The foil is a light weapon that targets the trunk, neck and groin, including the back but not the arms. Touches are scored only with the tip but not with the side of the blade. In sabre fencing the target zone is the trunk, meaning anywhere above the waist but excluding the hands. Hits with the edges of the blade or the point are valid. Like the foil, the sabre is a light weapon.

The épée is a heavier weapon that targets the entire body. All hits must be with the tip and not the sides of the blade. foil épée sabre

Fencing competitors must wear the necessary proper equipment. This includes: a face mask (with a bib to protect the neck); a fencing jacket; a plastron (an underarm protector, which goes underneath the jacket, providing double protection); a lamé (a layer of electrically conductive material worn over the fencing jacket that entirely covers the target area; it is worn only in foil and sabre, and serves to distinguish hits on target from those that are off-target);

a body cord is necessary to register scoring (it attaches to the weapon and runs inside the jacket sleeve, then down the back and out to the scoring box); a pair of fencing breeches, to protect the legs; a fencing glove that covers the sleeve on the sword- arm. Women also use a chest protector. Referees will check participants before each bout to make certain the equipment reaches all safety standards.

The most important rule in fencing is that the attack must be made by extending and straightening the sword-arm so that the weapon threatens the target. This gives the attacker the “right of way”. The person attacked must then defend himself/herself but he/she is not allowed just to simply hit back. The attacker loses the right of way if he/she stops threatening the target or if his/her opponent parries or beats his blade so that it is no longer threatening the target. A bout should look like a backwards and forwards exchange of attacks and parries.

A fencing bout follows rules which are interpreted by a Referee (or President) assisted by four judges. Two judges watch each of the fencers. There is also an electrical scoring apparatus, with an audible tone and a red or green light indicating when a touch landed. Fencing utilizes a simple scoring system, awarding one point for each time a fencer touches his opponent with his/her weapon. A bout, or fight, consists of two fencers trying to score a set number of hits in order to win.

The first fencer to score the required number of hits is the winner of the bout. Depending on the manner of competition, bouts may last 5 touches with a time limit of three minutes or 15 touches and a time limit of nine minutes.

Politeness in fencing is very important. Before a bout a fencer should salute his/her opponent as well as the Referee and judges. At the end of a bout the fencer should salute the opponent, remove his/her mask and place it under his/her sword-arm and should shake hands with the opponent using the non-sword arm.

Fencers compete on a long, narrow strip, specially marked out and must remain on the fencing strip at all times. The strip, or piste, must be 14 metres long and measure between 1.5 and 2 metres wide. The strip contains a centre line, two on-guard lines, roughly 2 metres from the centre line and two lines marking the rear limits of the strip, about 2 metres from the limit line.