COMPLETE GUIDE TO WHEELCHAIR FENCING AT PARIS 2024

Welcome to British Fencing’s guide to competition at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Note: This page will be updated with new information during the competition. Last updated: 03/09/2024.

THE ATHLETES

A total of 97 fencers have qualified for this edition of the Paralympic Games from 21 countries.

Dimitri Coutya, Piers Gilliver, Gemma Collis, and Oliver Lam-Watson will represent Great Britain at the competition, being held at the Grand Palais from the 3rd – 7th September 2024.

All are experienced athletes with many World Cup and World Championship medals between them, and the same quartet also represented GBR at the Paralympics in Tokyo held in 2021.

You can find more details about the team here: GBR Team for 2024 Paralympics 

SCHEDULE & RESULTS

The full competition schedule is available here: Wheelchair Fencing Schedule

(Note: this webpage defaults to UK time if you are looking at it from the UK, but can be set to Paris time or ‘my time’ wherever you are using the filter icon – check it is set to the timezone you want!)

The system should show both the results and details of upcoming matches.

It will include the repechage phase of the competitions once determined (see format details below). Read more about the repechage here. Note that the results will not be available on the usual fencing results online platforms.

Be aware that matches may be subject to delay and may not start at the exact time listed.

Please note that the medal matches start in the late afternoon and early evening at different times over the five days of competition, and the schedule may be subject to change.

WHEN ARE THE GBR ATHLETES COMPETING?

Unlike in standing fencing, most wheelchair fencers compete in multiple weapons at the same competition, with individual competitions in specific categories depending on impairment.

In Paris, there are also team competitions in foil and epee, but not sabre.

GBR athletes will be competing every day over the five days of competition in Paris.

Tuesday 3rd September – Individual Sabre

Dimitri will be competing in Cat B Sabre, Piers and Gemma in Cat A Sabre.
Finals start at 7pm UK time.

Wednesday 4th September – Individual Foil

Dimitri will be competing in Cat B Foil and Oliver in Cat A Foil.
Finals start at 5.30pm UK time.

Thursday 5th September – Team Foil

Dimitri, Oliver and Piers will all compete in the Men’s Team Foil.
Men’s finals start at 7pm UK time.

Friday 6th September – Individual Epee

Dimitri will be competing in Cat B Epee, Piers, Oliver and Gemma will compete in Cat A Epee.
Finals start at 5.30pm UK time.

Saturday 7th September – Team Epee

Dimitri, Oliver and Piers will all compete in the Men’s Team Epee.
Men’s finals start at 5.45pm UK time.

HOW TO WATCH

In the UK, Channel 4 have the rights to show the Paralympic Games. They will be showing Paralympic events all day on their main channels as well as evening and highlights packages. This coverage is likely to focus on GBR athletes.
Their schedule is here: Channel 4 TV schedule

However, Channel 4 have also pledged to show all events on their YouTube channels, which can be found here: Channel 4 Sport YouTube

So if the competition can’t be found on the main channels, you should be able to always find the wheelchair fencing being broadcast on YouTube at the link above, although due to the limitations of the feed broadcaster, they may not show every GBR match in the earlier rounds.

THE VENUE

Grand Palais, is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, very close to the Seine. Construction on the Grand Palais began in 1897 for the 1900 Universal Exhibition world’s fair. It was designated as a historic monument by the French government in 2000.

In 2021 the Grand Palais closed for major construction work to restore certain sections and bring the building up to modern standards ahead of the Olympic Games. It will fully reopen to the public in 2025.

The spectator capacity for the Paralympic Games will be 2400. Athletes will train, however, in the Paralympic Village.

The distinctive dome has been covered with a tarpaulin to stop natural light from reaching the field of play.

Previous sporting events held at the venue include the 2010 World Fencing Championships, the Saut Hermes international show jumping competition since 2009, and the fencing competition at the 2024 Olympic Games.

PARALYMPIC COMPETITION FORMAT

The wheelchair fencing event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games includes men’s and women’s individual events in all three disciplines, as well as team events for epee and foil. Athletes are divided into three sport classes under two categories of A or B, depending upon the degrees or types of impairments.

Fencing takes place on a piste measuring 4m by 1.5m. Preparations for each match begin with the fixing of the wheelchairs at a 110-degree angle relative to the centre line in the frames of the piste. The distance between the two fencers is determined by the athlete with the shorter arm reach. They can decide whether the distance between competitors will be set at the length of their opponent’s reach or their own.

Events

Individual

There are 12 individual events; six events each for men and women. For all individual events (epee, foil and sabre) in each category at Paris 2024, the competition format will begin with a direct elimination phase (table of 32) followed by direct elimination with repechage (table of 16 onwards).

Fencers are seeded into the direct elimination based on their current position in the IWAS wheelchair fencing world ranking. The effective duration of each bout is three minutes, with a maximum of five hits.

All finals direct elimination bouts continue until 15 hits have been registered in a maximum of nine minutes divided into three periods of three minutes for epee, with a 60-second pause between any two periods. For foil and sabre, the first period ends either at the expiry of the three minutes or when one of the fencers has scored eight hits.

Winners of each bout in the table of 32 progress to the table of 16 while the losers are eliminated. The winners of each bout in the table of 16 progress to the next step of direct elimination while the loser progresses to the repechage bracket. The winner of the direct elimination bouts progress to the gold-medal bout while the loser of repechage bracket will progress to the bronze-medal bout.

Team events

There are four team events: epee and foil for men and women. The team event is played in a direct elimination phase. Teams are seeded based on their current position in the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing world ranking. The first four teams are placed in the direct elimination table according to the current IWAS Wheelchair Fencing world team ranking. The remaining ranked teams will be placed in the table by drawing of lots in pairs.

Teams comprise of three fencers and one substitute fencer, where available. A team may nominate a substitute fencer, providing that substitute fencer is also entered into any of the individual events.

Each of the three fencers in a team will fence all the fencers in the other team for a total of nine bouts. Each bout lasts until a multiple of five points has been scored for the total score or after three minutes are reached, whichever happens first. The score is cumulative as each subsequent bout builds on the score of the previous bout, but the designated time is only given for each bout in a non-cumulative way. Each team match is finished either after 45 points are scored or after the ninth bout.

The winning teams from the table of 16 proceed to the quarterfinals. The losing teams are ranked ninth to 12th (based on their IWAS Wheelchair Fencing world team ranking).

The winners of the quarterfinals progress to the semifinals, while the losing teams are eliminated and ranked fifth to eighth based on their IWAS Wheelchair Fencing world team ranking.

The winners of each semifinal will progress to the gold-medal bout while the losers of semifinals will contest the bronze-medal bout.

SPORT RULES AND PROCEDURES

Tiebreak rules

In the individual events, if the scores are tied after the third period, there will be a further one minute of fencing time with one fencer randomly chosen and given priority. The winner will be the first fencer to score a valid hit. If no hits are scored, the winner will be the fencer with priority.

In the team events, if the scores are tied after the ninth bout, there will be a further one minute of fencing time with one fencer randomly chosen and given priority. The winner will be the first fencer to score a valid hit. If no hits are scored, the winner will be the fencer with priority.

Competition rules

Wheelchair fencing is governed by World Abilitysport.

The wheelchair fencing competition will be held in accordance with the editions of the following documents that are in force at the time of the Games:

• The IWAS Wheelchair Fencing Rules for Competition (available at https://wheelchair-fencing.org/about/rules-and-documents/)
• The IPC Handbook (www.paralympic.org/the-ipc/handbook)

The World Abilitysport federation, working with Paris 2024 competition management, is responsible for the technical control and direction of the wheelchair fencing competition at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

CHANGES SINCE THE TOKYO 2020 PARALYMPIC GAMES

The competition format differs from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the following ways:

• The competition format has changed from a pool phase followed by direct elimination at Tokyo 2020 to direct elimination with repechage in individual events, and direct elimination for team events at Paris 2024.
• All fencers on a team (including the substitute) receive a medal.
• Substitutes can be used for medical or tactical reasons according to the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing rules.
• In foil direct elimination bouts, the first period ends either at the expiry of the three minutes or when one of the fencers has scored eight hits.

DIFFERENCES FROM THE OLYMPIC GAMES

The competition format differs from Olympic fencing in the following ways:

• The competition format consists of direct elimination with repechage rather than direct elimination at the Olympic Games.
• Breaks in foil direct elimination bouts take place at either the expiry of the first three minutes, or when one of the fencers has scored eight hits.

For further information, please consult: wheelchair-fencing.org

HISTORY OF WHEELCHAIR FENCING AT THE PARALYMPICS

Wheelchair fencing was developed in Great Britain after a demonstration at the International Stoke Mandeville Games in 1954 by a patient from the spinal unit at Rockwood, Cardiff.

Sir Ludwig Guttman, considered the father of the Paralympic movement, then picked up the development of the sport, adding wheelchair sabre fencing to the programme of the 1955 International Stoke Mandeville Games. Foil fencing was introduced for women in 1956.

Wheelchair fencing was included as one of eight sports on the programme of the first Paralympic Games in 1960 in Rome, with the men’s individual and team sabre, and the women’s individual foil contested. The Paralympic programme further expanded four years later at Tokyo 1964, featuring individual and team events for women’s foil and for men’s epee and sabre. The programme also included the men’s foil individual.

Early fencers used heavy wheelchairs that provided little mobility and it became clear over time that wheelchairs with greater agility were needed. Early prototype wheelchairs had problems with stability, with some requiring the support of a helper crouching behind and supporting the wheelchair.

In 1982, the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation gratefully accepted the gift of four sets of fencing frames from the Dutch member federation. These frames stabilised wheelchairs and fixed the distance between fencers, although they were very cumbersome to transport and set up.

In 1987, Italian fencers brought over a frame which was copied in Great Britain and formed the basis for the several versions that are still being used today. Minor adjustments included the consideration of weight and the ability to more quickly accommodate both left and right-handed fencers.