The sport of fencing had its debut as an Olympic event in 1896. It has been a part of all Olympic Games since then. In 1896, competition was limited to the disciplines of foil and saber, which are similar weapons, although the saber is lighter. The epee discipline was added in 1900 to include heavier swords. Individual competitions are part of all Olympic Games, but the nature of the team competitions rotates between Games. In 2012, team competitions will include men's foil and saber, and women's foil and epee.
Professional Athletes
Professional athletes have appeared in fencing in the Olympics since the beginning, when the International Olympic Committee stated in the first Olympic rules that masters could compete. Masters are fencing professionals.
Female Athletes
Women fencers had a harder time than masters in gaining admittance to the Olympics. In 1924, they first competed with foils. It wasn't until 1996 that the Games included a women's epee event, and women's saber competitions began in 2004. Female fencers are now included in all disciplines.
Advent of Technology
In the earliest years, judging this sport was difficult because human eyes were solely responsible for knowing whether a fencer made contact with his opponent with his sword. Sometimes competing fencers touch at the same time. In 1936, an electric epee was developed that sent a signal to the scoreboard when a fencer touched his opponent. Twenty years later, the electric foil had its debut, with an electric saber added in 1992.
Dominant Teams
France and Italy have dominated Olympic fencing events. The fierce rivalry between these countries resulted in both of them refusing to attend the Games in 1912 as each interpreted the rules differently and neither was willing to give ground. The Germans have also won several fencing medals in the Olympics.
2008 U.S. Teams
2008 was an outstanding year for the United States fencing team, with Mariel Zagunis winning the gold medal in women's saber, Sada Jacobson taking the silver and Becca Ward winning bronze. The sweep was the first for a U.S. fencing team since 1904. Together, Zagunis, Jacobson and Ward also won a bronze metal in the women's team saber event. The women's foil team also took home a silver medal in 2008, as did the men's saber team.
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