Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre ; winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, singlestick, appeared in the 1904 Olympics but was dropped after that, and is not a part of modern fencing. Fencing was one of the first sports to be played in the Olympics. Based on the traditional skills of swordsmanship, the modern sport arose at the end of the 19th century, with the Italian school having modified the historical European martial art of classical fencing, and the French school later refining the Italian system. There are three forms of modern fencing, each of which uses a different kind of weapon and has different rules; thus the sport itself is divided into three competitive scenes: foil, épée, and sabre. Most competitive fencers choose to specialize in one weapon only.
A foil is one of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing, all of which are metal. It is flexible, rectangular in cross section, and weighs under a pound. As with the épée, points are only scored by contact with the tip, which, in electrically scored tournaments, is capped with a spring-loaded button to signal a touch. A foil fencer's uniform features the lamé. The foil is the most commonly used weapon in competition.
The Fédération Internationale d'Escrime, commonly known by the acronym FIE, is the international governing body of Olympic fencing. Today, its head office is at the Maison du Sport International in Lausanne, Switzerland. The FIE is composed of 157 national federations, each of which is recognized by its country's Olympic Committee as the sole representative of Olympic-style fencing in that country.
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) is the governing body of association football in the Philippines. Established as the Philippine Amateur Football Association (PAFA) in 1907, the PFF is one of the oldest national football associations in Asia and is among the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The PAFA reorganized as the Philippine Football Association (PFA), and later as the Philippine Football Federation.
The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is the national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States. The USFA was founded on April 22, 1891, as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) by a group of 20 New York City fencers seeking independence from the Amateur Athletic Union, in a dispute over rules for national championships. The AFLA changed its name to the United States Fencing Association in 1981.
The British Fencing Association (BFA), often referred to as British Fencing, is the national governing body (NGB) for the Olympic sport of Fencing in the British Isles.
The Philippine Olympic Committee Inc. (POC) is the National Olympic Committee of the Philippines.
Sports in the Philippines is an important part of the country's culture. There are six major sports in the Philippines: basketball, boxing, tennis, football, billiards, and volleyball. Despite being a tropical nation, ice skating has recently become a popular sport in the Philippines. Sports such as athletics, weightlifting, aerobics, and martial arts are also popular recreations.
The Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) was founded on April 22, 1891, in New York City by a group of fencers seeking independence from the Amateur Athletic Union. As early as 1940, the AFLA was recognized by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE) and the United States Olympic Committee as the national governing body for fencing in the United States.
Fencing in the Philippines is governed by the Philippine Fencing Association or PFA. Founded by Francisco Dayrit Sr., PFA is recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) as one of its National Sports Association members and by the Federation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the international governing body for the sport. PFA is also a founding member of the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation (SEAFF) and the Asian Fencing Confederation (AFC). Richard Gomez is currently the president of PFA while Celso Dayrit is currently the president of the Fencing Confederation of Asia.
Yuki Ota is a Japanese foil fencer, gold medallist at the 2006 Asian Games, silver medallist at the 2008 Summer Olympics, team silver medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and individual gold medallist at the 2015 World Fencing Championships. He is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Philippine Dragon Boat Federation is the national team sports federation for dragon boat racing in the Philippines. The Philippine Dragon Boat Federation is one of the founding members of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and recognized by the IDBF as the specific Governing Body for Dragon Boat racing in the Philippines. It is also a member of the South East Asian Traditional Boat Federation and the Asian Dragon Boat Federation. It succeeded the Amateur Rowing Association of the Philippines, as the responsible body for handling dragon boat teams in the country.
Francisco "Paco" Limjuco Dayrit Sr. is a Filipino fencer and is dubbed as the Father of Philippine Fencing. He founded the then Philippine Amateur Fencers Association in the 1930s which was incorporated in 1957. He was instrumental for campaigning for the recognition of the sports body by the FIE. The sports body was recognized in 1967. He is one of the personalities included at the FIE Hall of Fame.
Olga May Jekyll was a New Zealand fencer, who represented her country at the 1950 British Empire Games.
The Fencing Federation of South Africa is the governing body that regulates and oversee the Olympic sport of fencing in South Africa. Affiliated to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, the body is responsible for organizing fencing competitions locally and selecting fencers for international competitions.
The Philippines participated at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6 October to 18 October 2018.
Sir Joseph George Davidson Ward, 3rd Baronet was a New Zealand fencer and fencing administrator who represented his country at the 1950 British Empire Games. He was active in public life in Christchurch from the 1930s until his death, and served as the honorary consul for Belgium in that city for 30 years.
The women's foil event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 25 July 2021 at the Makuhari Messe. 34 fencers from 18 nations are expected to compete.
The men's sabre event at the 2020 Summer Olympics is scheduled to take place on 24 July 2021 at the Makuhari Messe. 36 fencers from 18 nations are expected to compete.
Celso "Cito" Limjuco Dayrit was a Filipino fencer and sports executive who served as President of the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Fencing Confederation of Asia.
