A Quick Guide to Para Fencing👨🏻‍🦽👩🏻‍🦽

Just like Boccia and Athletics, Fencing has always been a sport in where Hong Kong athletes shine.

One can say it all started with Benny Cheung Wai-leung. A fireman, Cheung lost his left leg above-knee during a landslide rescue operation. But disability did not fend off his enthusiasm for sports. He participated in swimming and basketball training to keep my body fitness at a very high level, before taking up fencing, which eventually led him to the top of the sport world. In Atlanta 1996, Cheung swept 4 golds in wheelchair fencing, which included Hong Kong's first Paralympic gold, as well as first gold of HK men's fencing. Today, the decorated fencer dedicates his time in promoting equality, inclusion and para sports.

Benny Cheung Wai-leung won HK's first Paralympic gold (also first men's fencing gold), and is the first-ever Paralympian in history who've won four golds in one edition. Before his victory, high-level fencing competitions was monopolised by European athlete

What is Para Fencing?

Para fencing, as its former name Wheelchair Fencing suggested, is a para sport participated by wheelchair athletes with specified impairment (see below). In knockout rounds, matches are won by the athlete that either scores the most points, or becomes the first to score five points within the 3min time period.

According to IPC classification, para fencers will have an impairment that belongs to one of following 7 eligibility groups laid out by the IPC:

• Impaired muscle power

• Impaired passive range of movement

• Ataxia

• Athetosis

• Hypertonia

• Leg length difference

• Limb deficiency

For Paralympics, there are 2 classes:

A: have good trunk control

B: have an impairment that impacts trunk or fencing arm

In Para fencing, two opponents in wheelchairs fastened into place using metal frames sit diagonally across from each other and attempt to strike within a targeted area on their challenger’s body. Credit: HKPC

In épée, scoring is valid for entire body above the waist, so fencers wear a conductive metal apron that registers hits on legs and wheelchairs invalid. Credit: HKPC

Alison Yu Chui-yee is Hong Kong's most decorated Paralympian, with 7 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze since Athen 2004. Image taken during her Foil (Class A) Individual match in Paris 2024. Credit: HKPC