LAUSANNE, Switz., March 3, 2025 – The FIE is saddened to learn of the passing on February 18 of Marie-Chantal Demaille (FRA) at the age of 83, a World Championships and Olympic fencer, French national coach and fencing master. She was born on Dec. 17, 1941, and competed in the Tokyo 1964, Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972 Olympic Games in foil. She won individual gold medals at the 1971 World Championships – the second French female fencer to win a world title – and the 1971 Mediterranean Games.
An accomplished veteran fencer, later in her life Demaille earned 22 Veteran World Championships titles (in foil and epee) as well as three gold medals in three weapons at the 2019 Cognac European Veteran Championships.
Over her exceptional and distinguished competitive career, she won seven World Cups and two French national titles, with a total of 41 world medals including 24 individual and two team golds, 8 individual and one team silvers and 5 individual and 1 team bronzes. In addition, she earned 36 European medals including 16 individual and 7 team golds.
Demaille was appointed the French national coach in 1988, serving until 1991 as, at that time, the first and only woman to date to hold this role. She was also a member of the French National Commission for women’s foil.
"Fortunately, mentalities and the place of women in sport have evolved”, she was quoted as saying. “I worked hard to be recognized."
In 1986, Demaille became a French national referee in foil, and then also in epee in 1996, while at the same time earning a Master-of-Arms diploma in Artistic Fencing. From 1987 to 2004, she supervised fencing master training courses in multiple countries. While reaching retirement age in 2001, she nonetheless continued managing programmes such as the Vaucluse departmental fencing committee (2002 to 2018) as well as serving as vice-president of the Provence fencing league (2004 to 2008), trainer at the B.E. "Artistic Fencing" within the regional commission, member of the regional commission "Leisure Veteran Fencing", and ultimately joining the national veterans commission at the FFE (2003 to 2008).
Among her numerous lifetime awards, recognition and decorations, notably, she is the namesake of the fencing hall of the club Escrime Cercle de Monteux (Vaucluse), of which she was the founder. She was awarded Deutsch de la Meurthe Prize in 1972, the 1980 Gold Medal of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the title of Chevalier de La Légion d'honneur as French national coach in 1991 and, 10 years later, received the Palmes Académiques. In 2023, the Academy of Fencing Masters awarded her the “Golden Sword” as a French fencing master.
As recently as 2023, she hosted veteran fencing clinics, helped veterans prepare for World Championships until 2024 and, also in 2024, carried the Olympic flame.
"When you have self-esteem, you can surpass yourself", she said. “It is a consequence of my education, my encounters, my values, a sporting ethic and honesty. I give back to sport what it gave me.”
The FIE extends its sincere condolences for their loss to Marie-Chantal Demaille’s family and friends, the French Fencing Federation and the European Fencing Confederation, and expresses its deepest sympathy during this difficult time.