EPEE

sword developed in the 19th century for use in fencing practice and contests. In early contests, fencers used blunted dueling swords and tried for a single touch on any point of the opponent's body, with no regard for the usual fencing conventions of limited target and right-of-way on attack. The number of touches required to win a match was increased to three in 1932 and five in 1955, but other rules have remained essentially the same. Fencing weapons The modern pe (see illustration) is a thrusting weapon 770 grams (27.16 ounces) in weight and 110 centimetres (3 feet 7 inches) in overall length, with a blade 90 cm (2 feet 11 1/2 inches) long. The blade is triangular in cross section and fairly rigid, tapering to a sharp point blunted with a stop, or button. The handguard is circular and bowl-shaped, similar to that of the foil but slightly larger. If used with electrical scoring apparatus, the pe's tip contains a spring device that registers only touches of 750 grams or more. The device will not register an opposing hit scored more than 1/25 of a second after the first. If a double hit is recorded, it is scored against both fencers. Touches are made with the tip only, and a retreat by a fencer of more than 10 metres (about 33 feet) scores as a touch against the defender. If both contestants reach five on a double hit, both are defeated. pe fencing is an international and Olympic Games fencing event and is also included in modern (or military) pentathlon competition. The pe became part of the Olympic fencing program for men in 1900, with team competition beginning in 1908. The 1996 Olympic Games saw the introduction of individual and team pe for women.