Women in sport:

Foil, sword and sabre fencing

                                 By Augustin de Clavière

The event of women’s fencing was open to women in 1924 at the time of the Olympic Games of Paris.  28 years after the men’s foil fencing,  women were allowed to participate in the  Olympic Games in 1924 in individual fencing foil.

Danish Ellen Osiier was the first Olympic champion.

Secondly, the fencing foil event in  teams was  added at the Olympic Games of 1960 in Rome.

The arrival the other weapons  in the Olympic games came much later. The fencing sword was registered only on the Summer Olympics of 1996 in Atlanta, where the Frenchwoman Laura Flessel stands out both in individuals and in teams.

Fencing Sabre was  integrated  in the Summer Olympics of 2004 in Athens, but only for an individual competition.

American Mariel Zagunis won that competition.

In the Summer Olympics of 2008 in Beijing  three weapons made the object of a team feminine event, a situation which prevails from the Games of 1920 for the men.