Fencing in the Olympics: Who Can Win in Rio 2016?

Fencing in the Olympics is one of the most prestigious sports, but do you know its rules, its history and its best players? Let us help you find it out!

Fencing in the Olympics will kick off soon after the Opening Ceremony on the 6th of August. The first game will start at 2 PM. That will be the women’s individual épée, however the encounters still not have been drawn so online sportsbooks in Brazil are still unsure about the favourite of the golden medal in the Olympic fencing category. But let’s learn some more about the basic rules of fencing.

What are the main rules of fencing in the Olympics?

Remember what Arya Stark has been taught in Game of Thrones? Rule number one for fencing is “stick’em with the pointy end.” Of course, that’s not enough to know about Olympic fencing rules, but it’s something to begin with. The aim is to score points by sticking the opponent with the pointy ends of their tools.

To understand fencing in the Olympics, you must understand how this sport consists of several categories. The Olympic fencing categories are the following: épée, foil and sabre. Each of these can be played individually or in teams and of course women and men compete in different categories. However, in Rio 2016, women’s foil team and men’s sabre team will not be included.

The weapons used by the athletes differs based on which category they are competing in. Foil fencing players use a light weapon that cannot be heavier than 500 grams. Hitting arms and legs do not count as points in foil according to Olympic fencing rules, only the torso (and the back), the neck and the groin counts.

In the épée fencing category, the weapon is a little bit heavier: it can be heavy up to 775 grams. The entire body counts as target in épée and also only hitting the opponent with the pointy end lets you score. In sabre, the Olympic fencing equipment consists of your weapon, which is once again at most 500 grams, just like in foil. Athletes can score with the entire blade and the entire upper-body part is the target except for the hand holding the weapon.

Who are the greatest Olympic fencing legends?

Online betting news in Brazil accept the fact that this sport is rather popular in many countries, however the 2016 Olympic Games’ hosting country is not one of the best fencing nations. Fencing is quite a big thing in several European countries, including Italy, France or Germany and the UK, but it’s rather important in Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Romania and Russia as well.

In fact, we can find several Olympic fencing legends from Hungary, starting with six-time Olympic champion Pál Kovács and 2-time Olympic champions Tíme Nagy, Bence Szabó, Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő and Ilona Elek. Another important Olympic fencing legend is Valentina Vezzali from Italy, who has 15 World Championship gold medals apart from her 6 Olympic wins which is an outstanding achievement.

Which Olympic fencing athletes could be the best in Rio 2016?

This year, a total of 247 fencing players will compete each other in hopes of collecting as many Olympic fencing medals as possible. The oldest one of them is Hungary’s 41-year-old Géza Imre, who has been Olympic champion twice and has a total of 4 Olympic medals. He might still be favourites as he is the reigning world champion in épée.

The youngest one of the competitors is Egypt’s 15-year old Mohamed Hamza, who will not be regarded as one of the favourites to win Olympic gold according to online sportsbooks, but this year when Leicester becomes Premier League winner in football…anything can happen in the Olympics as well. And the young, despite not being experienced enough, always come with incredible energy.

Fencing betting odds are not yet available so it’s not the best time to bet on who is going to be the best fencing player in the world yet, but collecting information is always necessary. Read through our other articles in connection with the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 and place the best bets at online sportsbooks to make the most out of your Olympic betting!