Fencing is a sport with documented doping cases, with 21 registered cases (0.1% of all violations). United States leads in violations with 5 cases, while Pseudoephedrine is the most frequently detected substance (3 cases). The average suspension length is 12.7 months. Fencing ranks #52 globally among all sports tracked by the Anti-Doping Database..
Fencing is a combat sport in which two athletes score points by making contact with their opponent using one of three weapons: foil, épée, or sabre. Each weapon has distinct rules and target areas. Foil and sabre follow the right-of-way principle, while épée awards points solely based on which athlete lands a valid touch first. Foil is a thrusting weapon with the torso as the valid target, épée allows hits to the entire body, and sabre permits both cuts and thrusts above the waist. Fencing tests speed, precision, strategy, and rapid decision-making, and is contested in individual and team events.
Modern fencing evolved from historical European swordsmanship and draws on techniques developed in Italian, Spanish, and French fencing schools from the 15th century onward. The sport is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), founded in Paris in 1913. According to the FIE, fencing combines physical and mental skills including reaction, timing, creativity, anticipation, and adaptability, and is grounded in the values of respect, discipline, sportsmanship, and adherence to established rules.
Fencing has been part of the Olympic programme since the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The early Olympic events included foil and sabre, with épée added later. Fencing has featured at every Olympic Games since. At Paris 2024, twelve events were held across men’s and women’s individual and team competitions in all three weapons, with 212 athletes from 53 nations competing at the Grand Palais. The venue also hosted the 2010 World Championships, highlighting fencing’s long-standing connection with both the Olympic movement and the history of the sport.
Sources: Olympics.com (Fencing), Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), FEI Press Kit for Paris 2024.
If you use this statistics, please credit The Anti-Doping Database
Fencing has the most violations in anti-doping rule violations globally, with 21 registered cases — 0.1% of all 14,828 verified cases in the Anti-Doping Database. Based on verified cases in the Anti-Doping Database.
United States leads in Fencing with 5 registered violations, accounting for over one-fifth of all violations. This represents 23.8% of the sport's 21 total cases globally.
The average suspension length for sanctioned Fencing athletes in United States is 12.7 months, shorter than the global average of 30.2 months.
Pseudoephedrine has the most violations in Fencing with 3 violations out of 21 total cases (14.3%). Though cases are more evenly distributed globally.
Globally, Pseudoephedrine has been detected in 90 cases across all sports, ranking #40 among all prohibited substances.
The average suspension length for Pseudoephedrine violations is 10.6 months, shorter than the global average of 30.2 months.
If you use this statistics, please credit The Anti-Doping Database
The International Fencing Federation (FIE) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the world governing body of fencing. We are proud to be an Olympic sport since 1896 and to have 156 affiliated member federations all over the world. In 2013, the FIE celebrated its 100th anniversary. The FIE establishes the rules to which international competitions must be organized and oversees their implementation.
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The Anti-Doping Database currently contains 14,828 verified anti-doping rule violations across all sports and all countries, and is updated regularly.