Carl Schwende

golden leaf icon for Hall of Fame

Biography

In his only Olympic appearance, fencer Carl Schwende was Canada’s flag bearer in the Rome 1960 Opening Ceremony, and was then eliminated in the first round of the foil competition. 

A seven-time British Empire and Commonwealth Games medalist, Schwende won one gold (1954 team sabre), three silver (1954 and 1958 team épée, 1962 team sabre) and four bronze medals (1954 épée and team foil, 1962 team foil and team épée). At the 1959 Pan American Games, Schwende won double team bronze medals in the foil and sabre. 

Schwende started fencing in his native Switzerland in the 1930s. In 1948, he emigrated to Canada and immediately joined the Québec fencing club Les Mousquetaires, then moved on to the club Équibec the next year where he stayed until 1975. A director of the Québec Fencing Federation from 1952-82, and president from 1965-74, Schwende was president of the Canadian Fencing Association from 1979-88 and one of the ringleaders of the creation of the Québec Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. A mechanical engineer by profession for 37 years, Schwende died in Montréal in 2002.

Schwende was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame as an athlete and a builder in 1985, and Québec Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

Olympic Highlights

Games Sport Event Finish
1960 Rome FencingIndividual Foil - Men -