At the 1988 Summer Olympics, eight fencing events were contested. Men competed in both individual and team events for each of the three weapon types, but women competed only in foil events.
The women's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1960 Summer Olympics programme. It was the first appearance of the event. The competition was held on 3 September 1960. 57 fencers from 12 nations competed. The winner of the tournament was the Soviet Union, followed by Hungary and Italy in third.
The men's foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1968 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 15 to 16 October 1968. 64 fencers from 25 nations competed. Nations had been limited to three fencers each since 1928. The event was won by Ion Drîmbă of Romania, the nation's first medal in the men's foil. Silver went to Jenő Kamuti, the first medal for Hungary in the event since 1948. Daniel Revenu of France repeated as the bronze medalist, the sixth man to win multiple medals in the event.
The men's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1968 Summer Olympics programme. It was the twelfth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 18 to 19 October 1968. 79 fencers from 17 nations competed.
The women's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1968 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event. The competition was held from 23 to 24 October 1968. 52 fencers from 10 nations competed.
The men's team épée was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 8 to 9 September 1972. 94 fencers from 20 nations competed.
The men's foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the sixteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 29 to 30 August 1972. 57 fencers from 25 nations competed. Nations had been limited to three fencers each since 1928. The event was won by Witold Woyda of Poland, the nation's second victory in the men's foil in three Games. Jenő Kamuti of Hungary repeated as the silver medalist, the seventh man to win multiple medals in the event. France took bronze for the third consecutive Games, this time with Christian Noël earning the honor.
The men's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the thirteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 1 to 2 September 1972. 63 fencers from 13 nations competed.
The men's team sabre was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from September 3 to 4, 1972. 63 fencers from 13 nations competed.
The women's foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the eleventh appearance of the event. The competition was held from 2 to 3 September 1972. 44 fencers from 20 nations competed.
The men's foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1976 Summer Olympics programme. It was the seventeenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from July 20 to 21, 1976. A total of 56 fencers from 23 nations competed. Nations had been limited to three fencers each since 1928. The event was won by Fabio Dal Zotto of Italy, the nation's first victory in the men's foil since 1936 and fifth overall. Italy had not reached the podium in the event since 1956. Aleksandr Romankov's silver was the Soviet Union's first medal in the event since 1960. In contrast, France won its fourth consecutive bronze medal with Bernard Talvard's third-place finish.
The men's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1976 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 24 to 25 July 1976. 63 fencers from 14 nations competed.
The women's foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1976 Summer Olympics programme. It was the twelfth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 23 to 24 July 1976. 48 fencers from 20 nations competed.
The women's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1976 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 27 to 28 July 1976. 61 fencers from 13 nations competed.
The men's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1980 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 25 to 26 July 1980. 40 fencers from 9 nations competed.
The women's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1980 Summer Olympics programme. It was the sixth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 26 to 27 July 1980. 43 fencers from 9 nations competed.
The men's foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1984 Summer Olympics programme. It was the nineteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 1 to 2 August 1984. 58 fencers from 26 nations competed. Nations had been limited to three fencers each since 1928. The event was won by Mauro Numa of Italy, the nation's sixth victory in the men's foil. His countryman Stefano Cerioni took bronze. The silver medal went to Matthias Behr, West Germany's first medal in the event and the first medal for any German athlete since 1928. France's five-Games podium streak ended.
The women's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1984 Summer Olympics programme. It was the seventh appearance of the event. The competition was held from 5 to 6 August 1984. 48 fencers from 10 nations competed.
The women's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1988 Summer Olympics programme. It was the eighth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 27 to 28 September 1988. 60 fencers from 12 nations competed.
The women's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1992 Summer Olympics programme. It was the ninth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 3 to 4 August 1992. 60 fencers from 12 nations competed.
