In the sport of Fencing, two athletes have a sword fight. The athletes involved are called fencers and they score points when they touch each other with their swords. When one fencer touches another, it is called a "hit".

The competition begins when the referee yells out, "En garde!" The fencers use three types of swords-the foil, épée and sabre.

So that they don't get hurt, the fencers wear special suits and helmets to protect themselves. These suits have electric wires in them so that a computer can detect each hit. The fencer that gets 15 hits first wins the competition. In the team event, the team that gets 45 hits first wins the competition.