Fencing is any system of systematized offense and defense with the sword, most commonly used to denote those systems of European origin. Today it can be considered to refer to the European martial art of swordplay, Olympic sport-fencing, stage-fencing or academic fencing.
The modern sport of fencing originated in the first
Olympic Games in 1896. The first few years of fencing as a sport were chaotic, with important rule disagreements among schools of fencing from different countries, notably the French and Italian schools. This state of affairs ended in 1913, with the foundation of the Federation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE) in Paris. The stated purpose of the FIE is to codify and regulate the practice of the sport of fencing, particularly for the purpose of international competition. The foundation of the FIE is a convenient breaking point between the classical and the modern traditions of fencing.
Being an Olympic Sport since
1896, following events are held:
Epee - individual Men, individual Women, team Men and team Women.
Foil - individual Men, individual Women and team Men.
Sabre - individual Men, individual Women and team Men.
