Foiled

The possibility of Olympic medals can draw you into unfamiliar sporting territory via the BBC red button facility and today with a Brit going for a bronze in the men’s foil fencing I watched the full contest, despite it resembling two blokes fighting with bent radio aerials, scoring points for the merest touch on the opponent – not exactly mortal combat in the style of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; if they were kids you would tell them “be careful before someone loses an eye” – but as they were wearing tea-strainer masks even that was unlikely.