Athens 1896, Games of the I Olympiad. Fencing: a foil bout in the Zapeion Hall. Credit: IOC/Olympic Museum collections

Paris, May 1900. Games of the II Olympiad. Fencing: a foil bout between Italy's Italo SANTELLI (left), 6th, and France's Jean-Baptiste MIMIAGUE, 2nd. (Photo taken from the "Life in the Open Air" magazine.) Credit: IOC/Olympic Museum collections

London, August 1948, Games of the XIV Olympiad: medal ceremony for the women's foil event: Ilona ELEK of Hungary, gold, Karen Vilhelmine LACHMANN of Denmark, silver, and Ellen PREIS-MÜLLER of Austria, bronze. Credit: IOC Olympic Museum Collections/Lothar Rübelt

Los Angeles, State Armory, August 1932, Games of the X Olympiad: György PILLER of Hungary, gold medallist, and Giulio GAUDINI of Italy (right), silver medallist, in action in the individual sabre event final. Credit: IOC Olympic Museum Collections

Los Angeles, State Armory, August 1932, Games of the X Olympiad: the medallists in the individual foil event: (L-R) Gustavo MARZI of Italy, gold, Joseph LEVIS of the United States, silver, and Giulio GAUDINI of Italy, bronze. Credit: IOC Olympic Museum Collections

Credit: IOC

For further info., please visit http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/disciplines_uk.asp?DiscCode=FE.