Wheelchair FencingWhen athletes come together from around the world to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they are fulfilling their dreams and competing at the highest level. Billions of people across the globe join in; watching, listening to and reading about the greatest global celebration of sport. To celebrate the London 2012 Games, the British Council is making a wide range of classroom resources available for learners of English worldwide.
fencing is a very old sport and one of the longest established olympic sports. in the Paralympic games, Wheelchair fencing athletes compete in wheelchairs that are fastened to the floor. This allows fencers freedom of movement but keeps the athletes fixed in their chairs. have you ever seen fencing on the TV or live?
Target
Reach
Frame
Piste
Sabre
Epée
B122 London 2012 English Worksheets Wheelchair Fencing_V1.indd 1 15/02/2012 10:34
1. Vocabulary
A. Write the correct words in the spaces provided.
A. sabre B. reach C. frame D. piste
E. target F. foil G. épée
4
3
2
1
5
7
6
2. The rules of Wheelchair Fencing
What is it?
Wheelchair Fencing uses the rules of Olympic Fencing, with one very important
difference: both wheelchairs are fixed to the floor but the fencers have complete
freedom of movement in their upper bodies..
Who can participate in Wheelchair Fencing at the Paralympics?
Athletes who use a wheelchair may compete in Wheelchair Fencing. This includes
athletes with a spinal cord injury (quadriplegic and paraplegic), athletes with cerebral
palsy, lower leg amputees and athletes with other physical conditions that require the
use of a wheelchair.
Classifications
There are different classes as follows:
Class 2: athletes with some sitting balance control and a normal fencing arm
Class 3: athletes with good sitting balance and a normal fencing arm who have no leg
support
Class 4: athletes with good sitting balance and a normal fencing arm who have leg
support
At the Paralympics the classes are joined into two categories:
Category A: Classes 3 & 4
Category B: Class 2
How is it played?
Athletes compete in wheelchairs that are fastened to frames on the floor.
The length of the piste (playing area) is decided by the athlete with the shorter arm
reach. This athlete can decide if the distance between competitors should be set at the
length of their opponent’s reach or at their own reach.
Three types of sword, or weapon, are used: foil, épée and sabre.
The foil is a light weapon. You score a hit when the tip touches your opponent between
the waist and the shoulders.
The épée is a heavier weapon. You score a hit when the tip touches your opponent
anywhere above the waist.
The sabre is a light weapon. You score a hit when the tip or edge touches your
opponent anywhere above the waist.
Fencers are connected to an electronic scoring box that records valid hits. The first to
five points in the initial rounds is the winner, and this increases to 15 in the later stages
of the competition.
1. A heavier weapon. You score a hit when the tip touches your opponent anywhere
on their body.
2. A light weapon. You score a hit when the tip touches your opponent between the
waist and the shoulders.
3. A light weapon. You score a hit when the tip or edge touches your opponent
.anywhere above the waist except their hands or the back of their head.
4. A metal object on the piste which the wheelchairs are attached to keep them
from moving.
5. The area of your opponent’s body where your weapon can touch.
6. The area where fencing takes place.
7. The length of your arm when you stretch it out.
8. The pointed end of your weapon.
9. The side of your weapon which cuts.
A. Match the words in the table with their definitions below.
a. edge b. épée c. foil
d. frame e. piste f. reach
g. sabre h. target i. tip
3. Reading
Pál Szekeres
How many sporting careers last for more than 20 years? How many athletes have won
medals at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games? One man, one name - Pál Szekeres.
Pál Szekeres is the only person ever to have won medals at both the Olympic and
Paralympic Games. He is a Hungarian fencer whose extraordinary career included six
Olympic and Paralympic Games between 1988 and 2008.
It began at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, where he won a bronze medal in the team foil
event. In 1991, however, he was involved in a bus accident, and suffered injuries that
have required him to use a wheelchair ever since.
As soon as he was able, he took up wheelchair fencing and, amazingly, the very next
year he competed in the foil at the Paralympics in Barcelona, and won a gold medal. Two
more gold medals followed in Atlanta in 1996, and then bronze medals in each of the
Games in Sydney, Athens and Beijing.
Szekeres, who has a university degree in physical education and another in marketing
communication, held important positions in the Hungarian government, as well as the
European and International Paralympic committees, even before he retired as an
athlete.
In 2005, he became President of the Hungarian Sports Federation for the Disabled.
It should come as no surprise to learn that he has been described as “the most
successful Paralympic athlete in Hungary”.
A. Put the following events in chronological order.
1. Szekeres became President of the Hungarian Sports Federation for the Disabled.
2. Szekeres competed at the Olympics.
3. Szekeres took up wheelchair fencing.
4. Szekeres was involved in a bus accident.
5. Szekeres won a gold medal in Barcelona.
6. Szekeres won two gold medals in Atlanta.
B. Choose the correct answer(s) to complete each sentence.
1. During his life, he (……….) medals at both the Olympic
and Paralympic Games.
a. has won
b. won
2. He (……….) as "the most successful Paralympic athlete
in Hungary".
a. has been described
b. was described
3. Szekeres’ fencing career (……….) six Olympic /
Paralympic Games between 1988 and 2008.
a. has included
b. included
4. He (……….) a wheelchair ever since the bus accident. a. has used
