The April 15-17 weekend sees the last chance for fencers to secure places at the Olympic Games in continental qualification competitions. For Europe the event is in Prague, Czech Republic, while for Pan-America the competition will be held in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Qualification by team event ended with the World Cup stages in March, while qualification by ranking finished with the Seoul Grand Prix in March.
The zonal qualifiers in April, therefore, are open to fencers who have not qualified via either route.
The Olympic Games in August will feature 10 of fencing’s 12 disciplines, with men’s team sabre and women’s team foil rotated off the Olympic program this year.
The European qualifier, open to fencers from the zone’s 45 member National Federations, will be held at Arena Sparta in the Czech capital on April 15-17. More than 120 fencers have entered in men’s and women’s foil, epee and sabre events.
The Pan-American qualifier, open to fencers from the zone’s 32 member National Federations, will be held at the National Gymnasium in San Jose. Eighty-two fencers have submitted entries in men’s and women’s foil, epee and sabre events.
Click for information on the zonal events from Africa and Asia.
Olympic fencing runs August 6-14 at the Carioca Arena 3 in Rio de Janeiro. It will feature 212 competitors.