Yes. Fencing has been on the program of every Summer Olympics since the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. It is one of just five sports with that record; the other four are athletics, cycling, swimming and gymnastics (USA Fencing, Fencing 101, read 2026-10-20). Today Olympic fencing has 12 medal events: men and women, individual and team, in each of the three weapons, foil, épée and sabre. Our head coach in Austin, Pavel Bykov, is an Olympian in sabre.
The three Olympic weapons
- Foil: you score with the point only, on the torso and the bib of the mask.
- Épée: you score with the point only, anywhere on the body.
- Sabre: you score with the edge or the point, anywhere above the waist except the hands. It is the fastest of the three, and the one our club teaches.
Sabre, foil and épée: what is the difference? explains each weapon and the right-of-way rule in more detail.
The 12 events
The Los Angeles 2028 organisers list the same 12 events that Paris 2024 had: individual and team foil, épée and sabre, each for men and for women (LA28, fencing, read 2026-10-20). In Los Angeles, fencing will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Hall 1, according to the same page.
The program grew over more than a century. At Athens in 1896 there were three fencing events, all for men; épée joined in 1900. Women's foil arrived in 1924, women's épée in 1996 and women's sabre in 2004 (Wikipedia, fencing at the Summer Olympics, event table, read 2026-10-20).
How Olympic bouts are scored
An individual bout is won by the first fencer to 15 touches, or by whoever leads after up to three rounds. A team match is a relay between two teams of fencers, and the first team to 45 touches wins (LA28, fencing). The strip, called the piste, is 14 metres long, about 46 feet.
Every touch is scored electrically: a scoring machine lights a lamp for each valid hit. In sabre and foil, when both fencers hit at about the same time, the referee decides who had right of way.
Tournaments below the Olympics usually start differently. USA Fencing says most tournaments begin with pools, round-robin bouts to five touches, followed by elimination bouts to 15 (USA Fencing, Fencing 101).
What "Olympian" means
An Olympian is an athlete who has competed at the Olympic Games. Our head coach, Pavel Bykov, whom parents call Coach Pasha, represented the Russian national team and placed fourth in men's team sabre at the 2012 London Olympics. He also won team gold at the World and European Championships. He has been coaching in Austin for two years, and he runs every newcomer's first class himself. Meet the coach has his story.
How do fencers get to the Olympics?
Places at the Games go to fencers through international results, and the road there takes many years of training and competition. Every Olympic fencer was once a beginner who learned the en garde stance. The first competitive step in the United States is a local tournament under USA Fencing; how fencing ratings work, and your first tournament explains how that works.
Does my child need Olympic dreams to start?
No. Most children who fence do it because they enjoy it. At our club, beginners train in groups by age, from 4 years old, and fencers aged 7 to 18 who want to compete can join Elite, competitive training four times a week. Elite is open to join; there is no invitation needed. If you are still deciding whether fencing suits your child at all, is fencing good for kids? is the place to start, and a child who loves swords may like is fencing real sword fighting?
Try the Olympic sport
The first class is free, for children from age 4 and for adults. We lend the mask, jacket, glove and blade, free for the whole first month. Parents are welcome to watch the first class. Your child's first fencing class, step by step walks through the day.
Call Coach Pasha at (408) 592-1244. If he is on the strip, leave a voicemail: he calls back within 24 hours. Or leave your number and he calls you.
