We’ve all waited a long time for the appearance of a professional fencing league. There were at least two attempts in the past that I remember, and they all miserably failed. Until now.

Meet the World Fencing League, founded by Miles Chamley-Watson — three-time Olympian, Olympic Bronze medalist, two-time World Champion, and the first male from the USA to become World Champion in fencing history. The World Fencing League began its advertising a few months ago and promised many great things — sponsorship, new technology, and a completely new format. The goal was to give fencing and fencers a future, a world stage beyond the Olympics.

And boy, did he deliver.

Today was the inaugural event for the World Fencing League at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles. And by all measures — it SUCCEEDED!

The World Fencing League Unique Format

Two teams — Blade and Shield — each consisting of three men and three women, one pair for each weapon. Six matches total: men’s foil, women’s foil, men’s epee, women’s epee, men’s sabre, women’s sabre. Three minutes per period, no target score — just time. If the score is tied at the end of time, a golden touch decides it.

If this sounds familiar, it should. This is how team sports that people love to watch actually work — no final score ceiling, just a clock, making every second count. And the team component adds another layer: each bout won brings the team one point and earns the individual bout winner $10,000 in prize money. The winning team splits the remaining prize pool from the $100,000 total purse.

The Rules That Changed Everything

Miles didn’t just create a league — he changed the rules of fencing. Completely. And every single change made the sport more watchable:

A 45-second passivity clock that pushes fencers to fast execution. No more standing around for two minutes waiting for someone to attack. You fence or you get penalized. This alone transformed the viewing experience.

A single period in each individual match. There is no time for strategizing. You must think fast and execute fast. And this makes it exciting. Isn’t this what crowds love?

The ability to score after crossing the end lines — no more stopping the bout when someone steps off the back. The action continues, and the crowd stays engaged.

Disabling off-target in foil, which means every touch counts. No more confusing halt-restart-halt-restart sequences that make casual viewers lose interest.

The ability to call a timeout, just like in basketball, football, or any other major team sport. And during that timeout, the entire team was there to consult with the fencer, strategize, and adjust. This was brilliant — it created the coaching dynamic that fans of team sports expect and that fencing never had in a visible, accessible way.

The energy was unbelievable, in every bout. It was just triumphant!

The Technology

And of course, the technology. The blade-tracking visualization system, I developed by Dentsu Lab Tokyo and Rhizomatiks, which I think was originally engineered for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, was nothing short of spectacular. The weapon tip tracing, the priority movement visualization, the real-time graphics that showed viewers exactly what was happening and who had the right of way. Miles showcased the full arsenal of technological tools, and for the first time in my memory, a non-fencer could watch a bout and actually understand what was going on. A lot, of course, thanks to the commentary.

The viral moment before the event even started tells you everything: the tech demo video garnered hundreds of millions of views across social media, with ESPN’s TikTok post alone reaching nearly 9 million plays. People compared it to Harry Potter and Star Wars. When was the last time fencing drew comparisons to blockbuster entertainment?

The Show

And then there was the way the event was organized. This was THE SHOW that fencing has never seen before. The production team behind it, RWS Global, the same creative team behind the Paris 2024 Olympic sport presentation, delivered a spectacle worthy of the sport’s potential. The lighting, the staging, the energy in the room.

The post-bout briefings of both the winner and the loser added a human dimension that traditional fencing events completely lack. You got to hear the athletes think, react, and process in real time. This is standard in major sports broadcasting and it was long overdue in fencing.

The lineup of athletes was fantastic — world-class competitors including three times Olympic Champion, Lee Kiefer, Olympic Champions Koki Kano and Georgely Siklosi, the reigning Olympic Individual and Team Champions, 3 times Olympic Champion Sanguk Oh, and Miles himself going against foil World No. 1 Ryan Choi, among the athletes. These aren’t prospects or up-and-comers. These are the best in the world, and watching them compete under these new rules was incredibly fun.

And the commentary — I have to say, this is the first time I’ve heard fencing commentary that actually made sense. It worked like commentary in major sports — informative, engaging, paced for the audience — rather than the insider-speak that usually accompanies fencing broadcasts and leaves casual viewers completely lost.

Room to Grow

There are things that can be improved. And that’s exactly how it should be — it’s impossible to create a project that gets everything right on its first outing. I’m sure that after this event, Miles and the team behind the World Fencing League will analyze what worked and what didn’t, and make the changes to make it even more spectacular. That’s the sign of a serious operation, not a weakness.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

When I watched the event live, the YouTube stream had 14,000 likes — mine included. Forteen thousand likes for a live fencing event outside of the Olympics. I believe that’s unprecedented. The technology demo videos had already generated hundreds of millions of views before the first bout was even fenced. Every ticket to the event was sold out. This is not a niche audience showing up for a niche sport. This is something new.

The Scheduling Controversy

There were complaints about Miles scheduling the World Fencing League debut during the USA Fencing Division 1 National Championships. Just earlier today I listened to my favorite fencing podcast, The Direct Elimination, that mentioned it. I was among the complainers — I would have purchased a front-row ticket in a heartbeat. But looking back at the event, I think Miles made the right call. This event is not for us, the hardcore fencing fans. This event is for the world outside our community. There is no reason to showcase fencing to us — we are already sold on the sport. Miles needed to prove that fencing could captivate people who have never picked up a blade. And from everything I saw today, he proved it.

What Comes Next

I don’t know exactly how the World Fencing League will develop from here. If this is truly a league, more teams must be created, more events scheduled, broadcast deals secured, betting enabled, and a hundred other things that a professional league needs to have. But watching the inaugural event today, live on YouTube, I believe all of that is just a list of action items within the most ambitious plan fencing has ever seen. And I wholeheartedly believe it will fly.

Why This Matters

There is nothing better in the world than watching sword fighting. People have been attracted to it from the dawn of civilization — from gladiators to musketeers to Zorro to Star Wars. The fascination with bladed combat is hardwired into us. Yet until now, there was no format that made competitive fencing watchable for the masses. The traditional format, with its arcane rules, invisible blade work, and insider-only commentary, kept the sport locked inside its own beautiful but impenetrable bubble.

The World Fencing League just proved that such a format can be created. That fencing can be thrilling, accessible, and entertaining without sacrificing the athleticism and strategic depth that makes it the greatest sport in the world.

The future of fencing arrived today in Los Angeles. And it is bright.