There are three forms of Olympic fencing:

Foil — a light thrusting weapon; the valid target is restricted to the torso; double touches are not allowed. Women's foil made its Olympic debut in Paris, during the 1924 Olympic Games.

Épée— a heavy thrusting weapon; the valid target area covers the entire body; double touches are allowed.

Sabre — a light cutting and thrusting weapon; the valid target area includes almost everything above the waist (excluding the back of the head and the hands); double touches are not allowed

The current President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach is a Fencing Gold medallist from the Montreal Olympic Games.

Siobhan Byrne was the most recent fencer to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games, competing in Beijing in the Sabre event.