# The History Of Fencing As An Olympic Sport

Fencing is a battle-related sport similar to sword fighting. It includes efforts to find gaps in the opponent's defense and penetrate them. The name of the sword is Saber and the foil helmet is worn during sports. Of course, sports are played individually and measure skill and agility rather than strength.



Fencing is one of the five events that has become an official Olympic sport since the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. [스포츠토토](https://www.sportstotoking.com) Fencing based on sword fighting requires speed, predictability, reflexes, and excellent mental strength. The activity is rooted in Europe, but China and the United States have recently achieved success at the Olympics, and Ruben Lombardo won the second Olympic gold medal in Venezuela's history in London in 2012.



Evidence of sword fights goes back as far as Ancient Egypt in 1190 BC with bouts and duels continuing until the 18th century. Fencing was originally a form of military training and started to evolve into a sport in the 14th or 15th century in both Germany and Italy.&#x20;



The sport's popularity increased in the 17th and 18th centuries due to the invention of a weapon with a flattened tip known as the foil, a set of rules governing the target area, and a wire-mesh mask. One of the trailblazers of fencing as a sport was Italian Domenico Angelo who taught aristocratic Britons the art of swordsmanship at his academy in Soho, London in the second half of the 18th century.



Angelo's book 'L'Ecole des arms' ('The School of Fencing') laid down the fundamentals of posture and footwork which live on to this day. The sport also grew in popularity in France, with Camille Prevost assembling the first basic conventions, although London hosted the first formal fencing competition at the inaugural Grand Military Tournament and Assault at Arms in 1880.



**Equipment Of Fencing**

Not only swords but also the equipment needed by swordsmen is considerable. Most of these are safety-minded, and urgent attention is needed after the 1980 Moscow Olympic gold medalist Vladimir Smirnov died at the 1982 World Championships, when Matthias Behr's broken blade stabbed a Russian through a mask.



After the tragic accident, the mask and the neck bib surrounding it are subjected to strict examination. All masks must pass the "punch test" of 12kg in the FIE approved version, and non-FIE masks made of stainless steel and normally made of carbon steel mesh are mandatory at World Championships and Olympic Games.



Kevlar, combined with strong cotton or nylon, is used for most of the rest of the equipment but is only needed to withstand 800 newtons. It consists of a jacket, a lower layer that extends halfway under the sword arm, known as a plastron, black hand gloves, pants that stop right in front of the knee or short pants, socks. In addition, wearing underneath the jacket is a plastic chest protector that some men choose to use.



Shoes can take the form of regular sneakers with thinner soles and rounded profiles, such as those used in racket sports and handball. The last part of the equipment automatically registers the hit. Body code to the electrically conductive garment, lama, and weapon, worn in the scoring area of ​​each fencing sword type.



**Weapons Of Fencing**

There are three fencing blades (Fleuret, Epee, and Saber) used for Olympic fencing, each with a different composition, skill and scoring target area.  The maximum weight of the foil is 500g and it is a stabbing weapon. Only the end of the blade is considered a target area. a body covered with lamiae.



The epee is also a stabbing weapon, but it weighs up to 775 grams. As expected, only the tip of the knife is strong, but the target part is the whole body, so there is no lamiae. Saver is a weapon with a maximum weight of 500g. The entire blade can score the upper body of the body covered with lamé as the target area, including the face mask and neck bib, which must be made of conductive material.
