14. November 2016 Health & Life Magazine

Enjoyed and practiced since the middle ages, fencing is one of
the oldest combative disciplines. A thrilling sport, it ranks high in
both elegance and technical challenge. We spoke with fencing
champions and the Qatar Fencing Federation head coach
Hichem Karchoud, and he told us about the details of the
sport" with "to find out more about the sport.
The concept of fencing has been around
for thousands of years, borne of the
simple human instinct to protect himself
and his family against wild animals or
invaders. Thankfully most of us no longer
need to use swords and knives for selfdefense.
In the Middle Ages fencing, or
jousting, was entertainment, a show of
how strong one’s weapon could be, and
was a bloody affair. Today, fencing is a
sport of showmanship, speed and skill,
and requires neither player be injured.
Fencing was introduced as an Olympic
sport in 1896, when it made its first
big appearance onto the world stage.
Olympic fencing started with only two
of the three types of replica swords –the
Foil and Saber. In 1900, at the Olympic
games in Paris, the Épée sword replica
was introduced and many more joined
the sport.
A LOOK BACK
The International Fencing Federation
was created in 1913 and developed the
techniques and point systems we know
today. In 1924, fencing opened its world
to women, allowing them to fence using
the Foil sword. Then, in 1933, electronic
scoring systems were introduced in
Épée, and have since been used in all
world championships.
Qatar’s Fencing Federation was
created in 2000. The following year
it joined the International Fencing
Federation and started participating in
championships world-wide. In January
2004, Qatar’s team took part in the
World Cup for Épée men’s single. Then
in May 2004, the team attended the
Gulf Championship and Youth Arab
Championship for Épée and Foil. Qatar
was named champion in Single Épée in
2005.
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SEPTEMBER 2016