Yes. Catastrophic Injury Injuries resulting in death or permanent disability rarely occur in modern competitive fencing. Only seven fatalities have been recorded since 1937, and most of these have occurred in highly skilled competitors in elite competition. All fatalities have been male fencers; five of seven deaths involved epée, with foil and sabre one each, and broken blades were responsible for the fatal wound in six of the seven cases. Four fatalities resulted from penetration of the thorax, with one or both lungs punctured and laceration of at least one major blood vessel in each case. The other three deaths involved neck (one case) and head (two cases) wounds. The two head wounds resulted from broken blades penetrating the mask (13, 16), whereas the mortal neck wound followed a broken blade slipping under the mask and penetrating the trachea and left common carotid artery(5). Two of the thoracic fatalities occurred before plastrons (underarm protectors) were mandatory. The second incident was, in fact, the impetus for the introduction of the plastron (13). Changes in equipment standards (design, strength, type of materials) generally have followed catastrophic incidents. However, all fatalities subsequent to the introduction of the plastron have occurred to fencers utilizing equipment that met at least the minimum standards set by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the international governing body for the sport. Unfortunately, the force generated by elite athletes seems to be increasing even beyond the accelerating standards for the structural integrity of fencing equipment (4, 7). In the most recent death, the athlete was using the highest standard equipment available (14). Several characteristics or mechanisms that may contribute (either singly or in combination) to blade breakage, force of penetration, or both and result in death have been postulated based on the seven incidents discussed here. Most often noted are a right-handed fencer fencing a left-handed fencer, the use of orthopaedic grips, and the propensity to make counterattacks (4, 13). Each of these characteristics was present in a majority of the fatalities (although in different combinations). Further research is needed to determine if modifying one or more of these characteristics would decrease the risk of sustaining a catastrophic injury. You can view the stats here http://www.exra.org/FencingChptr.htm Side note : In the 1966 movie - The Sword of Doom - Samuri Ryunosuke Tsukue killed his opponent in a fencing match.

Excuse me but fencing is perhaps the least dangerous sport in exsistence today. The deaths he is talking about happened at the highest possible level between opponents who's level of speed, skill, and strength put them among the best in their country sending them to the olympics. Did you know in football there has been more deaths in football in one year than in the past 60 so years of fencing? High schoolers die from playing football they are not Olympic atheletes. The fencing community is one of the kindest and most accepting I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Please do not have the misconception that fencing is dangerous the worst injury you are likely to see anywhere short of the Olympics is a sprained ankle.