New fencing competition aims to drag ancient Olympic sport into modern entertainment era
World Fencing League will use technology to turn the sport’s ultra-fast actions more watchable, will not clash with current calendar
Fencing might be one of the Olympics’ oldest events, but three-time Olympian Miles Chamley-Watson has said it urgently needs a reboot and hopes his new World Fencing League (WFL) will drag the sport into the modern entertainment age.
The British-born American will unveil the league in Los Angeles in April 2026, complete with cinematic broadcasts and cutting-edge blade-tracking technology that turns lightning-fast sword work into real-time visuals.
“Why is fencing not on TV? It’s simple: people do not understand what is going on,” Chamley-Watson said. “Even my mother doesn’t know what’s going on because it’s just two lights. This tech is going to change the entire sport forever.”
The WFL’s secret weapon is a blade-tracking system, originally built for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The technology transforms fencing’s ultra-fast actions into real-time visuals that broadcasters can overlay on screen, turning what often looks like frantic sword waving into comprehensible combat.
The league will debut with a one-day showcase featuring 12 elite athletes competing in mixed-gender teams, backed by what Chamley-Watson calls "cinematic broadcast production".