The competition was held from 17 to 24 July 1908 at the Franco-British Exhibition fencing grounds.

Gaston Alibert was the gold medalist, with Alexandre Lippmann taking silver and Eugene Olivier bronze.

Bohemia, Canada, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and Sweden each made their debut in the event.

When five different fencers tied for second place at 4 touches against apiece, a playoff round-robin was held.

That round resulted in Holt and Tvrzský tying at 1 touch apiece, eliminating the other two fencers.

The Official Report says only that Bosmans defeated Dubourdieu and Schön in the playoff, without giving further detail.

The single bout between Rodocanachi and Chalmers to break the tie for third resulted in a win for the Frenchman.

Alibert continued on his perfect streak, winning four more bouts untouched.

Montgomerie won against Gravier and Tvrzský in the three-way playoff for the second semifinal spot.

The final resulted in Alibert taking the championship after again hitting all opponents, though he suffered another pair of double-touches.

The playoff pool for second and third resulted in wins for the two French fencers, completing France's medal sweep in the event.