IOC has started releasing qualification guidelines for different sports for LA 2028 Olympics. We will cover qualification guidelines for all major sports.

You can check LA 2028 programme here.

On to the Fencing qualification guidelines now…

Fencing at LA 2028 Olympics

Where will Fencing take place?

Fencing will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Dates for Competition:

15-23th July 2028

Medal events will be spread across the competition.

Events in Fencing at the LA Olympics:

There will be 12 medal events in Fencing at the LA 2028 Olympics.

Sabre: Men’s Team, Women’s Team, Men’s Individual, Women’s Individual
Foil: Men’s Team, Women’s Team, Men’s Individual, Women’s Individual
Epee: Men’s Team, Women’s Team, Men’s Individual, Women’s Individual

Number of Quota Places:

A total of 212 quotas will be allocated (106 Male and 106 Female).

A nation can have a maximum of 18 athletes.

How to Qualify:

Team Qualification –

A minimum of 8 teams and a maximum of 9 teams will qualify for each of the 6 team events. The distribution of 8/9 teams will be dependent on the host nation quota allocation.

Qualification for team events will be basis FIE World Team ranking points gained between 1 April 2027 to 1 April 2028. Ranking points can be earned through World Cups, World Championships and Continental Championships.

4 highest ranked teams qualify automatically. The next 4 quotas are allocated basis the top-ranked team not yet qualified from each of the zones (Africa, Americas, Asia-Oceania and Europe). These teams should be ranked between 5th to 24th.

These qualification rules are applicable across all the 6 team events.

Individual Qualification:

A minimum of 34 and a maximum of 37 athletes will compete in each of the 6 individual events. Distribution between 34 and 37 will be based on host country quotas and universality quotas.

All 8 teams that qualify for team events will qualify 3 athletes for individual competition. Hence, 24 athletes for individual competition will qualify through team quotas.

The rest of the 10 quotas will be given through 2 routes:

1. Basis FIE ranking as on 1st April, 2028 the 2 highest ranked athletes (maximum 1 athlete per nation) not yet qualified through team quotas will earn an Olympic spot. Then the highest-ranked athletes from each of the 4 zones not yet qualified will earn a quota
2. The remaining 4 quotas will be given to the winner of the 4 FIE Zonal qualifying events. These will be scheduled in April 2028.

Indian Players to watch out for during qualification:

Indian teams are not currently ranked high enough to be considered a contender for team qualification.

Sabre – Men (24), Women (27)
Epee – Men (37), Women (26)
Foil – Men (29), Women (28)

However, from an individual standpoint, definitely look out for the following athletes:

Sabre – Karan (WR 57), CA Bhavani Devi (WR 57)
Epee – Taniksha (WR 94)

Trivia: CA Bhavani Devi became the 1st Indian fencer ever to qualify for the Olympics. She achieved this feat at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

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