Shanghai, May 20 (IANS): The season-ending FIE Foil Grand Prix opened here, with more than 300 fencers from over 40 countries and regions vying for points toward the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

As the second Olympic qualifier for the foil individual events at Paris 2024, the Grand Prix has attracted all top-16 ranked men's and women's fencers, except Italy's Arianna Errigo, world No. 9 and two-time Shanghai Grand Prix gold medalist, who is absent due to her pregnancy, reports Xinhua.

China has sent a 52-strong team, with 26 men's and women's fencers each. Women's foil individual gold and silver medalists at the 2022 Asian Championships, Shi Yue and Chen Qingyuan lead the women's team, with men's silver and bronze medalists Mo Ziwei and Wu Bin listed in the men's squad.

Seven Chinese fencers made it through the women's preliminaries into the last 64 on the day. The men's preliminaries will take place on Saturday, with the finals scheduled for Sunday.