Fencing has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Women's foil made its Olympic debut in Paris, during the 1924 Olympic Games. There are three forms of Olympic fencing:

Foil — a light thrusting weapon; the valid target is restricted to the torso; double touches are not allowed.

Épée — a heavy thrusting weapon; the valid target area covers the entire body; double touches are allowed.

Sabre — a light cutting and thrusting weapon; the valid target area includes almost everything above the waist (excluding the back of the head and the hands); double touches are not allowed.

The foil is one of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing, all of which are metal. It is flexible, rectangular in cross section, and weighs under a pound. It is the lightest of the three weapons used at the Olympic Games.

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