Fencing
What is Fencing?
Fencing has its roots in ancient sword fighting. As a sport, it began in the 17th century when the 'foil' - a sword with a flattened tip - was invented as a practice weapon to help duellers prepare for their deadly contests. A set of rules were soon developed, followed by wire-mesh face masks, which made it a safe activity.
There are three types of fencing - epee, foils and sabre. In all three, weapons are wired electronically to record when a hit is scored. In foils and epee, points can only be scored by the point of the weapon hitting. In the case of the foil, only a hit on the torso counts. In the epee, the whole body is the target. In sabre, points can also be scored by hitting the arms and head.
Wheelchair Fencing was introduced by Sir Ludwig Guttmann at the 1953 Stoke International Games. It was part of the programme for the first Paralympic Games in Rome 1960.
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