Fencing History

International Fencing Federation

Further to the problems raised during the Olympic Games of 1908 (suppression of foil beause of regulations) and of 1912 which led to the boycott of France at the Games of Stockholm, it is on René Lacroix's initiative, on 29 November 1913, in the lounges of the Automobile Club of France, that the FIE was created and that it adopted the 1st rules at epee (drafted by the marquis of Chasseloup-Laubat from France), at foil (drafted by the master Camille Prévost, from France as well), and at sabre (drafted by the Hungarian Bela Nagy).

Fencing opens towards European and Olympic jousts with very precise rules. Since this historical date, these rules were subject to some modifications and improvements : the materials, the armaments and equipments which always trend towards a better safety and reliability, the rules of competitions which structure the values, the time and the behaviour. The FIE whose headquarter is in Lausanne, has currently 127 national fencing federations leaded by the unique French President of an International Sport Federation, René Roch.

The successive Presidents were : Albert Feyerik, André Maginot, G. Van Rossem, E. Empeyta, Paul Anspach, Jacques Coutrot, G. Mazzini, Pierre Ferri, M. De Capriles, P. Ferri, G. C. Brusati, R. Boitelle, René Roch current President.

The signalisation of hits

At the end of the XIXth century, we still rely on the "word of honour" of fencers to count the hits. Then appeared the famous push button, which were welded at the end of the epee and partially recovered with a sticky thread. The remaining point had to hang to the jacket of the opponent but without crossing it... what often happened.

At the beginning of the 20s, the novelist Léon Sazie invented the push button at three branches, which was used for a long time in schools because it was practical and harmless. Other inventions appeared to disappear immediately, following the example of stamping or detonating buttons. We imagined even to fence bare-chested, with the push button.

This going back to the stop hit "to the first blood" gave concerns to more than one and worried the others. A big progress was then made by Paul Souzy with his "record player epee", composed of a box, a body wire and an epee. It signalised the hits with a battery-operated snorer and an electric light bulb, and marked in cochineal the place of the impact.

We know the continuation : the electric apparatus of signalisation of hits was adopted by the federation in 1936.

(Credit: FIE. Click here for further information.)