Fencing is a sport linked to combat. Ever since the Greco-Roman era, swords have been used for fighting. Ditto for the Middle Ages, when combatants used big heavy broadswords.Yet, it was not until the 16th century that the sword came to resemble those that are used in the competitions of today. Fencing only became a sporting discipline in Europe at the end of the 19th century.Today, three different techniques exist:. Firstly, the foil, in which one can only strike the opponent on the chest.Secondly, In the epee event, a fighter can strike all the parts of the opponent's body but only with the tip of the weapon, whilst in the sabre event the tip and blade can be used. It should be noted that the sabre was only wired up to the electronic scoring system from 1987 onwards, as is not the case in the other events.During combat, the competitor is not allowed to change weapon, except in the case of injury and only with the referee's authorisation.The masters of this Olympic discipline are the French, the Italians and the Hungarians.