Events – 16 (eight men, eight women)
Classification – Fencers use the same weapons as standing fencers and are then further divided in to two classifications. Class A fencers have full trunk movement and good balance. Class B athletes have no leg movement and impaired trunk and balance functions.
Venue – Grand Palais which will also be hosting Taekwondo. It was the raucous venue for fencing at the Olympic Games and also hosted Taekwondo at the Olympic Games.
Tokyo Recap – China was rampant, winning 11 of the 16 possible gold medals on offer in Tokyo. The only other team to get multiple medals was the RPC, winning two.
Great Britain, Hungary and Italy were the only other nations to win gold medals. Ukraine was perhaps the unluckiest team, winning four silver medals.
Schedule: September 3-7 with medals every day.
Paris Expectations
The team events aren't ranked but we can get an idea for what teams will do well on the whole by looking at the individual rankings.
China has the top two in the women's epee A, while Thailand leads the way in the B classification. That should make China the favorite for the team event. Great Britain leads both of the men's classifications so will come in as favorite for the team event as well but could be challenged by China.
It's a lead for China in the women's foil A, ahead of local rivals Hong Kong. Thailand again leads the B but China is in second place to be favorite for the team event. China also holds the lead in the men's A with GB in the lead in the B but again China in second place makes them the favorites for the team event.
Sabre doesn't have a team event so it will just be individual medals. Poland leads China in the women's A classification but in the B it's China on top yet again. Great Britain continues its dominance of the men's B classification leading the way on the Sabre too.
It's not impossible that China does even better in Paris, with a real prospect in every single event, but, most notably in the men's sabre B, some classifications will be harder than the others.
Event photos courtesy of OIS/Joe Toth
Venue photo courtesy of City of Paris
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