Fencing in Bangkok: At the tip of a sword

Fencing has always been a sporting event closely associated with the military and thus, it is not surprising that many of the strongest fencing clubs that operate in Thailand are associated with the Thai Navy. Being such a specilised sport, with distinct rules for the different kinds of swords used, fencing is not for everyone and apart from physical fitness, a fencer also needs agility, speed and, above all, a good grasp of sword techniques.

Even though for the untrained eye fencers at a tournament might seem just white-clad actors taken straight out of the latest The Three Musketeers movie, there are actually three different weapons used in the sport of fencing: foil, sabre and épée. The foil is a thrusting weapon used by fencers to score on the torso of the opponent and only touches with the tip are scored. The sabre is a cutting and thrusting sword which can be used to score on the opponent’s body above the waist. Both the tip and the edges of the blade are allowed to be used during a “fight.” The épée is a heavier thrusting weapon and although hits can be placed on the entire body, only the tip can be used to score. Depending on the kind of sword used, the fencers need to give the “right of way” to the opponent for an attack or can attack and score simultaneously.

Although fencing in Thailand is not actively covered in the mass media, in the past decade it has caught momentum due to the story of a very interesting Thai fencer who won bronze medals in the sabre event (both individually and with his team) at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Wiradech Kothny, a 32-year old Kanchanburi native stepped on the Olympic podium and received his medals not for Thailand, but Germany, his adopted country. Once he rose to international fame, he returned to Thailand and has ever since fought under the Thai national flag. At the 2011 Southeast Asian Games, he brought home bronze at the men’s individual sabre event and is now training and competing, alongside two other Thai fencers, in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics.

Just like in kendo, a fencer wears a special uniform that is both meant to protect the fencer and help the judges keep accurate scoring. The mask (made of metal for foil and épée; and of strong cotton for sabre) and the gloves are two personal items that you would have to own for yourself as you will probably sweat profoundly in the Thai weather. A fencer also wears a front-zip jacket, knickerbockers, long cotton socks and fencing (or sport) shoes. Once you reach a competition level, you’ll need specialized sparing equipment and electronic scoring gear.

The history of fencing can be traced back to Egyptian carvings dating back to 1200 BC, while modern fencing has its beginnings in Spain, where the first two fencing manuals were published in the 15^th century. The popularity of fencing and its lethal component of dueling spread throughout Europe during the Renaissance, with famous masters and fencing schools sprouting in Germany, Italy, and France. Fencing became an Olympic sport in 1896 and after the foundation of the International Fencing Federation in France, Eastern European countries such as Hungry, the former Soviet Union and Romania became important power houses in the sport.

For the cadets in the different Thai military academies, fencing has become more and more important with a strong tradition of sending cadet fencers to the yearly national team selection tournaments. Originally, in Thailand, fencing was a sport for cadets only, but with the establishment of a national association in 1965, the numbers of fencing clubs rose to forty. Out of these, four clubs belong to the four Thai military academies.

As with most sports, you never know if it’s for you or not until you try it. The Amateur Fencing Association of Thailand is under the royal patronage of H.R.H. the Crown Prince and operates from the offices and facilities at the Hua Mark Sport Complex. Their training area is situated on the third floor of the Sport Science Center while the main office can be found in Zone E under Rajamangala Stadium.

Joining the club at Hua Mark costs 3.000 baht, but if you don’t have your own equipment, you’ll need at least 5.000 more baht to purchase the minimum safety gear. There are about 400 Thai and international fencers training in Thailand and, surprisingly, there are around 100 wheelchair fencers who are under the umbrella organization of the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sport Federation.

Some of the other fencing clubs are the King Mongkut’s University of Technology Fencing Club in Thonburi, the Royal Thai Naval Academy Fencing Club in Samut Prakan, and the Royal Thai Navy Fencing Club in Bangkok. If you want to find out more about the fencing scene throughout Asia and future regional tournaments, you can access the Philippines-based Fencing Confederation of Asia.

For more information regarding training schedules and locations of the different clubs in Bangkok, contact the Amateur Fencing Association of Thailand at 023692489.

Watch the men’s individual epee match between Thai (left) and Japanese (right) fencers:

Initially published in “Bangkok Trader” (Vol. 6, No.7, June 2012)