Fencing shaken by disqualifications and accusations ahead of the Olympics
Fencing is a niche but vital Olympic sport, contested at every Summer Games since 1896. Yet despite its genteel reputation and its simple goal – to touch an opponent with the blade before being touched – the sport has been long full of drama and suspicion.Two months before the Paris Olympics, international fencing is gripped by questions about the integrity of refereeing, allegations of preferential treatment and concerns among top athletes and coaches that their sport's intricate connections could help decide who gets to compete at the Games .The federation that governs fencing in the United States, USA Fencing, recently suspended two international referees after they admitted communicating with each other during an Olympic qualifying tournament in California. He became so concerned ...