Paris 2024 Olympics - Fencing - Men's Foil Team Semifinals - Grand Palais, Paris, France - August 04, 2024. Miles Chamley-Watson of United States against Tommaso Marini of Italy. REUTERS/Maye-E Wong
Dec 2 (Reuters) - Fencing may be one of the Olympics' oldest events, but three-time Olympian Miles Chamley-Watson says it urgently needs a reboot, hoping his new World Fencing League (WFL) will drag the sport into the modern entertainment age.
The British-born American will unveil the league in Los Angeles in April 2026, complete with cinematic broadcasts and cutting-edge blade-tracking technology that turns lightning-fast sword work into real-time visuals.
"Why is fencing not on TV? It's simple, people do not understand what is going on," Chamley-Watson told Reuters. "Even my mother doesn't know what's going on because it's just two lights. This tech is going to change the entire sport forever."
The WFL's secret weapon is a blade-tracking system, originally built for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The technology transforms fencing's ultra-fast actions into real-time visuals that broadcasters can overlay on screen, turning what often looks like frantic sword waving into comprehensible combat.
The league will debut with a one-day showcase featuring 12 elite athletes competing in mixed-gender teams, backed by what Chamley-Watson calls cinematic broadcast production.
"This has to be a mainstream sport," said the 35-year-old Rio 2016 bronze medallist.
"Fencing is an incredible combat sport, but if people only see it once every four years, they'll never understand what goes into it."
Technology is just one piece of what Chamley-Watson describes as a "full ecosystem". The league plans clearer rules, athlete-driven format adjustments and a developmental pathway for emerging talent.
"You take UFC, you take the WTA, you take Formula One - you put it all into one," he said. "This is about building a real professional lane where kids can dream of being full-time fencers and actually make a living."
The WFL, backed by Chiron Sports Group, has been scheduled around gaps in the existing International Fencing Federation calendar to avoid conflicts.
Chamley-Watson said his league would complement the current system, keeping athletes active and visible outside the World Cup circuit while deepening the talent pool for Olympic qualification.
The venture also aims to address global inequality in the sport, planning to support federations and subsidise athletes using sponsorship and broadcast revenue.
"Kids in Africa might not even have the opportunity to fence," Chamley-Watson said. "People in South America barely get to any competitions. The Pan-Americans can't even afford to travel. Why should that be an issue in 2025? That's something we want to fix."
After its LA debut, the league aims to expand into the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, with a full season planned by the end of 2026.
For Chamley-Watson, the project represents something bigger than his own sporting success.
"Winning medals is amazing," he said. "But building something that inspires millions of kids? That might be an even better legacy."
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)
