All witnesses can attest to it, competitors and spectators alike: the Paris 2024 Games have forever marked the long history of fencing. The discipline owes much of this to the site chosen by the organizers for the Olympic events: the Grand Palais, between the Seine and the Champs-Elysées.

What should we remember? What does the future hold? FrancsJeux asked American Donald Anthony, vice-president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE).

FrancsJeux : Was 2024 a great year for fencing?

Donald Anthony : Absolutely. We had, I think, a great year, especially from the point of view of the media coverage of fencing. The Paris 2024 Games were spectacular. We had our competitions in one of the most popular venues, the Grand Palais, for which tickets were among the most requested by the public. The images of these Olympic Games will remain etched forever. And fencing benefited from excellent media attention, including during the qualification period.

Was 2024 also a good year for the International Fencing Federation?

Yes. We had some challenges, but they were successfully overcome. I think that, in the end, it was a very positive year. Between the Paris 2024 Games and our elective congress in November in Tashkent, the FIE had a successful year.

Let’s take a look back at the highlights of the year. If you had to choose just one image, what would it be?

The image that will remain in my mind is that of the athletes' entrance before the competitions, at the Grand Palais, during the Paris 2024 Games. Seeing them go down the grand staircase to get to the track, in such a grandiose place, was simply magical. Their presentation sublimated fencing and its competitors.

If you had to keep just one performance?

Just one, it's difficult after such a year. I'll give two. And even three. The first performance, which touched me personally, was the victory of Kong Man Wai (photo above), the Hong Kong fencer, in the individual epee event at the Paris 2024 Games. I followed her and saw her progress since her student years at Stanford. She won in the NCAA in the United States, she was world number one for several years. And she finished at the Olympic Games with a gold medal, under the colors of Hong Kong. I also remember, still on the women's side, and again in a somewhat personal way, the two gold medals won by Lee Kiefer in the foil. Individually, her second consecutive after Tokyo 2020, and in the team event with the United States. This performance is quite incredible. It really impressed me. Finally, in the men's event, I would like to mention the success of South Korea in the sabre, with an individual gold medal complemented by success in the team event.

And if you had to remember one initiative from the year 2024?

I would say the great work done by the FIE CMTV department. It was able to get our competitions a visibility in the media that was rarely achieved before. It sold fencing like never before. Behind the scenes, it also managed to connect our sport with the IOC's global partners. These two elements combined should allow us to reach new sponsors for fencing during the new Olympiad.

Is fencing's place today strengthened within the Olympic movement?

I am convinced of this. For two reasons. The first is the results of the Paris 2024 Games. We were in France, a traditional fencing country, but the diversity of countries featured in the medal rankings demonstrates the progress of our sport all over the world. The top four – Japan, the United States, South Korea and Hong Kong – are ahead of three European nations that have long dominated fencing: France, Italy and Hungary. These results speak volumes about the work that has been done over the past several years to develop fencing all over the world. The second reason is the popular success of the Paris 2024 Games. The fencing competitions achieved very good audiences, often with sharp increases. We now have 12 medal events at the Games. Our position is solid.

Four years before the Los Angeles 2028 Games, how is fencing doing in the United States?

Fencing is growing. It’s growing fast. The competitions are so successful that we’re having to limit registrations. But LA 2028 will be a dual challenge: finding an iconic venue and attracting American fans. Fencing has had a great deal of exposure at the Paris 2024 Games, thanks in part to the two gold medals in women’s foil. Lauren Scruggs has been very followed, she made the news. She won an individual silver medal and a team gold, and became the first African-American Olympic champion in fencing. Now we need to build on this momentum by expanding our base with educational and training programs. Fencing competitions in the United States don’t get the same exposure as they do in other countries. With the Los Angeles 2028 Games, we have the opportunity to change that over the next four years.