Buzz
If you watch the fencing events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, you’ll notice that each fencer has a cable attached to their uniform. It might look like a leash, as if someone’s ready to pull them back if they move too far. But advancing toward the opponent is the goal—and fencers are not at risk of falling from a great height.
So, what’s going on here?
This cable connects to what’s called a body cord (or body wire), and its purpose is to track the score. Given the quick moves and sharp blades of fencing, it’s nearly impossible for officials to score based on just observation. Instead, electrical currents run through strategically placed cords, which register each hit. The body cord usually runs up through the fencer’s jacket, down the sleeve of the sword arm, and connects to their weapon.
In épée fencing, the entire body, including the head and feet, serves as the target area, so there’s no need to specify where the touch happens. However, in foil fencing, where only the torso is the target, and sabre fencing, with a target area from the hips to the head (similar to a cavalry soldier on horseback), the specifics do matter. In these events, fencers must clip the cord to a conductive jacket known as a lamé. They also use a mask cord to connect their lamé to an electric mask.
For nearly a century, electric scoring has been integrated into fencing. The electric épée was introduced in the 1930s, followed by the electric foil in the 1950s, and finally, in the late 1980s, the sabre adopted electric scoring.
