Fencing at the 1932 Summer Olympics

The 1932 fencing events were contested at the State Armory of the 160th Infantry of the California National Guard. There were seven events in 1932, six for men and a women’s individual foil, as there had been in 1924 and 1928. The FIE had been trying to get the IOC to add a women’s foil team event but was unsuccessful. The FIE did not hold its European Championships in the Olympic years but in 1932 it held a women’s foil team European Championship and continued to hold women’s foil team championships in the Olympic years until 1960, when a team foil event for women was added to the Olympic program.

Of the 21 available medals, 16 went to Italy, France, and Hungary, with all three nations winning two men’s events. Italy won eight medals in all – two gold, four silver, two bronze, while France and Hungary both won four total medals.

As in 1928 there was some question within the IOC about continuing to allow women to fence. But the IOC voted 17-2 in favor of keeping women’s foil on the Olympic Program. In 1936 the vote would be unanimous and women have competed in fencing continuously since 1924.