Frecciarossa Italian Olympic and Paralympic Fencing Championships "Rome 2026"

Fencing returns to Rome after a decade

The Frecciarossa Olympic and Paralympic Fencing Championships "Rome 2026" brought the annual national title competition back to the capital after a ten-year absence. Organized by the Italian Fencing Federation with the support of Roma Capitale, this Roman edition was designed as a showcase for the sport: not held in a closed arena, but on one of the city's most iconic terraces, open to the public and the cameras.

The Terrazza del Pincio as a stage

The Terrazza del Pincio, overlooking Piazza del Popolo and the rooftops of Rome, hosted all the final stages of the Olympic championships from May 30 to June 4. The pistes were set up outdoors, with gold-medal bouts scheduled for the evening, when the light over the city shifts and the view is at its most spectacular. The qualifying rounds, youth categories, and the entire Paralympic program took place at the Fiera di Roma, which served as the technical headquarters for the event.

A program across three weapons

The schedule followed a classic progression, one weapon at a time: first foil (May 30-31), then sabre (June 1-2), and finally épée (June 3-4), with individual competitions followed by team events. On June 3, the event coincided with the 117th anniversary of the Federation, founded on June 3, 1909, celebrated at the Pincio with a historical fencing exhibition. The final days, from June 4 to 6, were dedicated to Paralympic and visually impaired fencing, with the men's category A foil final held on the Pincio pistes.

The stars of the championships

• Individual Foil: First national title for Filippo Macchi, who defeated Tommaso Marini in an all-Fiamme Oro final; Alice Volpi triumphed in the women's category.
• Team Sabre: Victories decided on the final touch, 45-44, for the Fiamme Oro Roma women's team and the Centro Sportivo Carabinieri men's team.
• Individual Épée: Valerio Cuomo reclaimed the national title by beating Alexandre Camargo 15-12, while Alberta Santuccio secured her first individual Italian title by overcoming Olympic champion Rossella Fiamingo 15-5.
• Team Épée: A double victory for the Fiamme Oro on the final night of competition at the Pincio.
• Paralympic: The men's category A foil title went to Emanuele Lambertini.

Record-breaking numbers

The Federation described this as a record-breaking edition: approximately 1,300 athletes on the piste, including over 1,100 in Olympic fencing across cadet, youth, and senior levels, 142 in Paralympic fencing, and 50 in the women's épée for visually impaired athletes—a historical milestone for that discipline. In total, 44 Italian titles were awarded, with fifteen Olympic medalists and four Paralympic medalists in attendance. The thirteen final sessions drew around 10,000 spectators, while Rai provided eight days of live coverage and over twenty hours of television programming, with the first six evenings from the Pincio aired in prime time.

An event within the city

The value of this initiative for the City of Rome and the Lazio region went beyond sports: the Federation estimated an economic impact of approximately 1.5 million euros over the ten-day event. Above all, the choice of the Pincio turned fencing into an urban event—free and accessible—within the pedestrian perimeter of Villa Borghese, just a stone's throw from the Spanish Steps and the Tridente. For those who had never seen a bout live, the combination of the sharp sound of blades, live commentary, and the panorama of the capital served as the best possible introduction to one of Italy's most successful sports.