Dr. Linda K. Fuller
Professor Emerita of Communications, Worcester State University. Author of Female Olympians: A Mediated Socio-Cultural/Political-Economic Timeline; Female Olympian and Paralympian Events: Analyses, Backgrounds, and Timelines; and Female Olympian and Paralympian Athlete Activists: Breaking Records, Glass Ceilings, and Social Codes.
Email: lfuller@worcester.edu
Website: www.LKFullerSport.com
On the Olympic schedule since 1896 in Athens, fencing in the Games has involved three weapons: foil, epee, and sabre, in which the first to reach 15 points with hits on designated target areas is the winner. For the 2024 Paris Games, the venue was the Grand Palais, held before capacity crowds of 8,000 where 212 fencers (106 men and 106 women) competed.
Considered a royal sport, the Sport of Kings remains an expensive recreation—costing about USD $2,500/year for non-competitors and $20,000 for international competitive fencers—and it requires many years of practice. It has always been popular in France, with classical fencing dating to the 17th century of King Louis X1V and many terms based on the French language. Women have been “allowed” to fence since 1924 Paris. Requiring good mental agility along with physical skills of balance, dexterity, and power, fencing asks combatants to wear white not so that blood will be shown but because historically an ink spot was imprinted to show where touches had been delt. A classic combat sport, its participants have been known as battlers, belligerents, fighters, and scrappers, and the language of fencing’s sabreurs and belle sabreuses is fascinating.
Even more fascinating are some of the fencers’ stories. This research focuses on two, both related to Kenya, which didn’t make any medal tables but are nevertheless worth of attention:
1.) A group of gang members from Nairobi who decided to “change their ways” and channel their energies into the sport of fencing: As reported in the Christian Science Monitor, this group concluded that their lives had reached a dead end, and they decided to channel their energy into fencing. They formed a club where they had formerly been smuggling guns, formed teams, and eventually got to the point where they qualified for the Games. For those of us involved in Sport for Development (S4D), this is an encouraging story.
2.) Alexandra Ndolo, fresh from claiming Silver for Germany at the World Championships, decided to represent her father’s homeland of Kenya for 2024 Paris. As such, the left-handed 37-year-old changed her citizenship, became a founding member of the Kenyan Fencing Federation, was crowned the “African Epee,” and took advantage of touring her newly adopted country. Unfortunately, Ndolo lost 12-13 to Olena Kryvytska of Ukraine at 5:40am on July 27th at the Games. “I had prepared myself mentally in advance with my sports psychologist,” she reported on Facebook. “Or so I thought. But then I was there on my own, wearing the Kenyan colours for the first time, seeing the Kenyan flag…If, in 30 years’ time, people recognise fencing in Kenya as an established sport, then that will be enough for me.” Her heritage will also remain in the many fencing schools she helped set up in Nairobi—and so we are sure to see other more joyful results.
En garde!
