The 2003 European Fencing Championships were held in Bourges, France. The event took place from 29 June to 3 July 2003.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Russia | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
| 2 |  France | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 |  Hungary | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 4 |  Italy | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 5 |  Poland | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 |  Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 |  Estonia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 |  Portugal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Ukraine | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 |  Azerbaijan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (10 entries) | 12 | 12 | 18 | 42 | |
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. The three disciplines of modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre ; each discipline uses a different kind of blade, which shares the same name, and employs its own rules. Most competitive fencers specialise in one discipline. The modern sport gained prominence near the end of the 19th century and is based on the traditional skill set of swordsmanship. The Italian school altered the historical European martial art of classical fencing, and the French school later refined that system. Scoring points in a fencing competition is done by making contact with an opponent.
Historical European martial arts (HEMA) are martial arts of European origin, particularly using arts formerly practised, but having since died out or evolved into very different forms.
The English Institute of Sport is a multi-sport facility in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The facility designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects was opened in December 2003 at a cost of £24 million. Its main feature is a 200m indoor track, but it also hosts several other sporting arenas as well as a large gym and extensive sports medicine facilities. It is in the Lower Don Valley between the Sheffield Arena and Don Valley Bowl. It is managed by SIV.
Maria Valentina Vezzali is an Italian politician and retired Olympic and World Champion foil fencer. As a fencer, Vezzali won six Olympic gold medals and was a 16-time World Champion in foil. She is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summer Olympic Games to have won five medals in the same individual event.
Margherita Granbassi is an Italian foil fencer.
Aida Mohamed is a Hungarian foil fencer, silver medallist at the 1993 World Championships and team gold medallist at the 2007 European Championships. She is the only Hungarian athlete in history to have competed at seven different Olympic Games.
Ulrich Robeiri is a French right-handed épée fencer, two-time team European champion, six-time team world champion, 2014 individual world champion, and 2008 team Olympic champion.
Dmytro Karyuchenko is a Ukrainian épée fencer.
The World Fencing Championships is an annual competition in fencing organized by the International Fencing Federation. Contestants may participate in foil, épée, and sabre events.
Laura Gabriela Badea-Cârlescu is a retired Romanian foil fencer, world champion in 1995, olympic champion in 1996 and european champion in 1996,1997, 2004. After her retirement she became a fencing coach, then a sport administrator with numerous roles. She served as President of the Athletes Commission (2001-2005) for the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, Member of the Rules Commission of the International Fencing Federation, Director of Olympic Education of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (2005-2012), Director of Romanian Olympic Academy(2011-2017), Romanian Ambassador for Sports, Tolerance and Fair-Play at the Council of Europe (2004-2011), Member of the Science and Sports Council in Romania (2006-2009), Member of the Romanian Anti-Doping Agency, Vice-President of the Romanian Fencing Federation (2005-2011), President of the Romanian Fencing Federation (2017-2018), Member of the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission at the European Olympic Committee, Member of the Executive Committee at the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee.
Ana Maria Popescu, formerly known as Ana Maria Brânză, is a Romanian left-handed épée fencer.
Olha Hennadiivna Kharlan, also known as Olga Kharlan, is a Ukrainian sabre fencer. She is a four-time individual women’s world sabre champion, six-time Olympic medalist and the most decorated Ukrainian Olympian in history. She has been ranked #1 in the world in women's sabre for five seasons: 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2017-2018, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.
The European Fencing Confederation is an international body created in 1991, charged with the promotion and development of fencing in Europe. It organises the European Fencing Championships annually at several levels: cadets (U17), junior (U20), under 23, seniors and veterans.
The European Fencing Championships is an annual top-level European fencing competition organized by the European Fencing Confederation.
Welsh Fencing is the national governing body of fencing in Wales. In 2003 it had 34 affiliated clubs, with 260 adult and 559 junior members. Welsh Fencing organises competitions including the Welsh Open, and is responsible for the selection and management of the Wales representative squad, who compete in the Winton Cup and the Commonwealth Games. At the European and World Championships Welsh fencers represent Great Britain, if selected.
Yana Volodymyrivna Shemyakina is a Ukrainian right-handed épée fencer, three-time Olympian, and 2012 individual Olympic champion.
Andrea Cassarà is an Italian left-handed foil fencer, two-time individual European champion, 2011 individual world champion, and three-time Olympics medalist.
Aleksandra Anna Socha Shelton is a Polish sabre fencer, bronze medal in the 2003 World Fencing Championships, European champion in 2004, and European team in 2008. She represented Poland at the time.
Erwann Le Péchoux is a French left-handed foil fencer. Le Péchoux is a four-time team European champion and four-time team world champion. A five-time Olympian, Le Péchoux is a 2016 team Olympic silver medalist and 2021 team Olympic champion. Le Péchoux competed in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, and the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Carlos Soler Márquez is a Spanish wheelchair fencer who has represented Spain at five Paralympic Games. Following the 2012 Games, he retired from the sport. He is also a fencing administrator and coach, having organized a World Cup event at the fencing club where he is president.