How to qualify in Wheelchair fencing
How wheelchair fencers qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics
Wheelchair fencing at LA28 has 16 medal events and 96 places (48 men, 48 women):
| Men | Women | Mixed |
|---|---|---|
| Épée, foil and sabre, category A and category B (six events) | The same six | Mixed team foil |
| Team sabre | Team sabre | Mixed team épée |
Places go to the fencer. Teams are decided first, then individual places, all from the World Abilitysport Para Fencing Paralympic ranking lists closing 31 May 2028, which count results from 1 October 2026.
| Route | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed teams (foil, épée): the world's top team, then the top team in each of three zones | 16 | 16 |
| Sabre teams: the world's top team, then the top team in each zone | 12 | 12 |
| Extra places to make up six sabre teams | 1 | 1 |
| Individual ranking, countries without a team in that weapon | 15 | 15 |
| Host (United States) | 3 | 3 |
| Invitation | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 48 | 48 |
The three zones are America/Africa, Europe and Asia/Oceania. For India, the zone is Asia/Oceania.
A country can win at most four men (two category A, two category B) and four women (the same).
Mixed teams
A mixed team is four fencers: one man and one woman in category A, and one man and one woman in category B.
- World ranking: the top team on each Paralympic Mixed Team Ranking (foil and épée) qualifies: 2 teams, 8 fencers.
- Zonal ranking: the top team not yet qualified from each zone in each weapon: 6 teams, 24 fencers.
The places go to the country's highest-ranked fencers in that weapon, one for each category and gender. A country that comes top in both mixed team rankings gets one team place, in the weapon where it has more points (ties: better 2027 World Championships place, then lower total of its four fencers' individual ranks, then a draw); the other weapon's place passes down. It can still enter the other mixed team with fencers it has qualified.
Sabre teams
- World ranking: the top men's and women's sabre teams qualify, each with three fencers (two category A, one category B).
- Zonal ranking: the top team from each zone in each gender: 3 teams each, 9 fencers each.
If that would take a country over its limit, it gets places only up to the limit. Unused places are used to make sure each sabre team event has at least six teams. If none are spare, one category A place for each gender goes to the best-ranked mixed team country in the sabre team ranking.
Individual places
Only fencers whose country has no team in that weapon can win these, at most one per category and gender per country:
| Foil | Épée | Sabre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men, category A | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Women, category A | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Men, category B | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Women, category B | 3 | 3 | 4 |
The host
The United States qualifies three men and three women (two category A, one category B each), its highest-ranked fencers, so it can enter every team event. Places it wins in other ways (not invitations) reduce these, and the freed places go towards the six sabre teams.
Eligibility and entries
- A World Abilitysport para fencing licence for 2028.
- At least three sanctioned international para fencing competitions between 1 October 2026 and 31 May 2028.
- International classification.
- Up to two fencers per individual event and one team per team event. A fencer who qualified in one event can also enter any other individual event where they are top 30 on the Paralympic ranking.
- Team events are open only to the host and teams in the top 14 of the team ranking. A country without a team place can still enter a team made of fencers already qualified individually, if it is top 14.
- Event sizes: 21 per individual event, 10 teams per team event. If too many enter, fencers who qualified in that event come first, then the highest-ranked others.
Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 October 2026 | Paralympic ranking period opens (individual and team) |
| 5 May 2028 | Accreditation Long List due |
| 31 May 2028 | Ranking period closes |
| 1 June 2028 | Invitation applications open |
| 14 June 2028 | World Abilitysport announces places |
| 22 June 2028 | Countries confirm |
| 30 June 2028 | Invitation applications close |
| 1 July 2028 | Reallocation |
| 10 July 2028 | Invitations announced; countries declare use |
| 24 July 2028 | Sport entries close |
Unused places become invitations; after 10 July 2028 they go back to the IPC.
Where the document disagrees with itself
- The invitation method says applications close on 10 June 2028; the timeline says 30 June 2028.
- The two mixed team methods break ties in different orders: the world-ranking method looks at points first, the zonal method at ranking first, then points.