FOIL

The Rules for Foil were adopted on 12 June 1914 by the Committee for Foil of the FIE at a meeting in Paris under the presidency of General G. Ettore, representing the Italian Fencing Federation, who edited the proposed rules.

They were basically the same as those drawn up by Monsieur Camille Prévost, President of the Académie d'Armes and President of the Technical Committee for Foil of the French National Federation. They also conformed to the rules drawn up by the Marquis de Chasseloup- Laubat for 'Les Armes de France', to the various earlier international regulations drawn up by the different countries affiliated to the FIE, and to the Franco-Italian rules.

The rules governing foil competitions judged with the electrical judging apparatus were adopted in 1957 and modified by various later Congresses up to the present date.

EPEE

The Rules for Epée drawn up in 1914 set down in detail and completed all the various épée rules which existed prior to the foundation of the FIE and which had been adopted since 1892 both in France and elsewhere, notably by:

— The Permanent Committee of la Société d'Escrime à l'Epée de Paris; l'Académie d'Epée; la Société d'Entraînement à l'Escrime et au Pistolet; and les Armes de France
— The 1905 International Committee, subject to the laws of each country with regard to duelling
— L'Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sport Athlétiques (USFSA)
— Le Comité National des Sports de France
— The French Olympic Committee
— The Organising Committees for the Tournaments held at Nice, on the Riviera, at Ostend, etc.

The rules governing épée competitions judged with the electrical judging apparatus were adopted in 1936 and subsequently modified by various later Congresses up to the present date.

The Congress of 1984 approved the introduction of Ladies' Epée; the Congress of 1987 decided that World Championships for Ladies' Epée should be organised from 1989 onwards.

SABRE

The FIE Sabre Rules include the essential portions of the rules which were adopted at the Olympic Games in London in 1908 and in Stockholm
in 1912.

They also conform to the basic principles of the Ostend rules and of the Hungarian rules and were adopted on 12 June 1914 by the Committee for Sabre of the FIE assembled in Paris under the chairmanship of Dr Bela Nagy, President of the Hungarian Fencing Federation, who edited the proposed rules.

The rules governing sabre events fenced with an electrical apparatus were adopted in 1988.

Fencing equipment

Blade

The hitting part of a sword from the guard to the point.

Chest guard

Used to protect the chest.

Epee

A thrusting sword descended from the duelling sword, similar in length to a foil but heavier, with a larger guard and a much stiffer blade.

"Fil de corps"

Foible

The weaker part of a sword blade, between the middle and the point.

Foil

A thrusting sword with a flexible rectangular blade and a smaller guard than the epee.

Grip

The handle of a sword; also called the "hilt".

Gloves

Guard

The part of a sword between the blade and handle that protects the duelling hand.

Hilt

The handle of a sword; also called the "grip".

Mask

Piste

French for the field of play where a fencing bout occurs; also called a "strip".

Point

The end of the blade, which must touch the opponent's target area to score a point.

Rapier

A thrusting sword with an elaborate hilt and a long, slender, pointed blade, developed in the 16th century and the precursor to the epee.

Sabre

The modern version of the slashing cavalry sword, similar in length and weight to the foil but able to cut with the blade as well as hit with the point.

Strip

The field of play where a fencing bout occurs; also called a "piste".

List of events

On the programme of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008

(1) épée individual Men

(2) épée team Men

(3) foil individual Men

(4) sabre individual Men

(5) sabre team Men

(6) épée individual Women

(7) foil individual Women

(8) foil team Women

(9) sabre individual Women

(10) sabre team Women

Time an