Great Britain will have eight fencers taking part in London 2012 after the BOA confirmed their places in the Games.
Fencing will have eight places up for grabs for Team GB in London
Great Britain will have eight fencers taking part in London 2012 after the British Olympic Association (BOA) confirmed their places in the Games.
The latest sport to be handed host nation qualification places, fencing has been handed the places by the Olympic Qualifying Standards Panel and is a major boost for the sport in Britain.
British fencers who achieve Olympic qualification will secure automatic places for Team GB in addition to the host nation qualification spots. The maximum number of fencers a National Olympic Committee can enter into the Olympic Games is 16.
BOA chief executive and Team GB chef de mission Andy Hunt said: "British fencing has demonstrated real performance progress in recent years.
"Since the last Olympic Games, where Team GB was represented by three fencers, they have won 13 World Cup medals and claimed four European Championship podium places, including Britain's first major championships team medal for 30 years with bronze in the men's foil at the 2010 European Championships.
"The host nation qualification places will give British fencers a great opportunity to demonstrate the dynamic and exciting nature of the sport and I'm sure our fencers will be inspired by the support of the home crowd in London."
British Fencing chief executive Piers Martin said: "We thank the BOA for the fantastic news that we've secured the host nation places for fencing.
"It is a great testament to all of our fencers and their support teams who have been producing results across all of the weapons over the past few years.
"With the support we get from public and private funding, the results are now coming at all levels, showing that we also have strength in depth.
"It is clear that our performance path is on an upward trajectory. We can now use this Olympic Games not only for medal success but as a platform for future Games."
