The combat sport of fencing is mired in neglect, with stakeholders blaming its downfall on ‘faulty’ government policies.When C.A. Bhavani Devi became the first fencer to represent India in the Olympics back in 2020, many budding fencers in Anantapur were delighted, hoping that it would pave the way for government support in the form of better infrastructure in the district for a sport that is expensive to pursue and is predominantly played in metropolitan cities.