Rules

ARRANGEMENT OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

At World Championships, the number of participants is limited by 4 sportsmen per fencing type from one country in personal competitions and by one team per fencing type from one country in team competitions.

The number of qualified teams is limited by sixteen depending upon FIE’s official classification, plus 16 teams distributed between different zones depending upon FIE’s official classification: 6 – for Europe, 4 – for America, 4 – for Asia/Oceania, 2 – for Africa.

The judging at World Championships is provided by arbiters appointed by the FIE’s Executive Committee at the judging panel’s proposal.

PERSONAL COMPETITIONS

At World Championships, personal competitions shall be conducted according to the knock-out system with a mixed formula including a preliminary round of bouts in groups, preliminary knock-out table, then the knock-out table for 64 participants in order to determine eight or four participants of the final also to be conducted according to the knock-out system.

Bouts in groups in the preliminary round shall be conducted up to 5 touches, in the knock-out rounds – up to 15 touches.

In foil and epee fencing, knock-out bouts shall finish when one of the competitors has made 15 touches or when 9 minutes allocated for the bout have elapsed. The bouts shall consist of three parts (rounds) with a minute break between them. The competitor that has made the largest number of touches shall be considered the winner.

In sabre fencing, the first part (first round) shall continue until one of the competitors has made 8 touches. The bout shall finish when one of the competitors has made 15 touches.

TEAM COMPETITIONS

In each fencing type, teams consist of three participants with a substitute or without a substitute. The team can begin the play only when it is in full strength.

At the World Championship, teams have positions in the table according to their official FIE’s classification. Non-qualified teams shall occupy the last positions in the table and shall be selected by a draw.

The bouts in team competitions shall be conducted according to the “relay” formula whereby every three participants of one team compete every three participants of the opponent team (9 relay stages). Each relay stage shall be conducted for 5 touches (5-10-15-20, etc.). The maximal time for each stage is 3 minutes.

The two first competitors shall fence until one of them has made 5 touches within the maximal allocated time, i.e. 3 minutes. The next pair of competitors shall fence until 10 touches also with the duration not exceeding 3 minutes. Then in the subsequent bouts, the relay continues until the score being multiple to five.

If upon expiry of 3 minutes the score provided for this stage is not reached, the next pair pf competitors shall begin from the score being reached and fence until the score provided for the given stage with the maximal time of 3 minutes.

The winner-team shall be the team, which will be the first to reach the maximal result of 45 touches, or the team, which will make the larger number of touches within the established time.

In the case of equality of the score upon expiry of the established time at the last stage of the match, the participants shall be given an additional minute of the bout, during which they will fence until the decisive touch. Until resumption of the bout, the arbiter shall conduct a draw in order to determine who will be the winner if the score remains equal upon expiry of the additional minute. 

THE FIELD OF PLAY

Fencers compete on the field of play being 1.5-2 metres wide and 14 metres long. Five lines should be drawn very clearly on the field of play at right angles to its length. The centre line in the centre; on-guard lines – at 2 metres on each side of the centre line; lines at the rear limits – across the whole width of the field of play at the distance of 7 m from the centre line. In addition, the last 2 metres before these rear limit lines must be clearly marked (by a different colour of the strip) to make it easy for the fencers to be aware of their position on the field of play. If during the bout a competitor crosses the rear limit line of the field of play, a touch will be scored against him/her.

REFEREEING AND JUDGING

All fencing bouts are conducted by a referee who shall direct the bout, check the weapons, clothes and equipment of the fencers before each bout, award the touches, caution competitors and penalise faults, in accordance with the Rules.

The only argument for the referee in order to award a touch are readings of the electrical apparatuses fixing the touches.

The referee shall perform his/her duties by means of the automatic electrical apparatus fixing the touches and, possibly, with the help of corner judges (assistants) watching for the use of the unarmed hand or arm, substitution of the valid target, touches scored on the floor in epee, leaving the lateral and rear limit lines of the field of play and other offence defined in the Rules.

The refereeing of international competitions shall be conducted in the French language being the official language of the International Fencing Federation (FIE).

Before the beginning of the bout, the referee gives a command “On guard”, and having received a reply to the question “Ready?” gives a command to begin the bout: “Fence”. The bout is stopped at the referee’s command “Halt!”. The referee awards touches by exclamations: “On the right”, “On the left” or does not score informing by the exclamation: “Off the target!”.

The referee shall analyse the bouts and declare his/her decisions by means of gestures.

In foil and sabre fencing, bouts are evaluated with the account of the tactical rightness of the competitors. The right of attack belongs to the fencer attacking the opponent who does not manage to parry the attack or being late in performing the counter-attack. If the opponent has parried the attack then the tactical rightness to make a riposte will transfer to the defended competitor. One can determine the attack being started by a touch by means of a counter-attack, which is to be made within 120 milliseconds (in sabre) and faster than the visually determined “tempo” (in foil). Simultaneously made attacks shall be evaluated by the referee as mutual, and the touches made shall not be scored.

In epee fencing, the tactical rightness of competitor actions is missing. In the case of simultaneously fixed attacks, the touches shall be awarded to both competitors. One can get ahead of the opponent if the mutual action has been performed faster by 40-50 milliseconds. 

VIDEO ARBITRATION

The use of video recording becomes obligatory at World Championships and Grand Prix (World Cup stages) competitions in judging bouts in foil fencing and in sabre fencing (it is not mandatory for epee fencing).

At the end of the bout, when the score is equal, in awarding the decisive touch in the case of simultaneous lighting up of the lamps, the judge must obligatorily use video recording.

One or several persons supervising the referee’s decision need not obligatorily be the members of judging panel. At World Championships, they are to be appointed by the arbiter. At Grand Prix competitions, they are to be appointed by a judging panel’s representative.

In personal competitions, each competitor can use video recording twice during a single bout. If the referee makes a decision in favour of the competitor requesting video recording, then such competitor shall still have the right to retain his/her two opportunities to apply to video recording.

In team competitions, the participants can apply to video arbitration only once a bout and retain such an opportunity if the referee makes a decision in their favour.

When video recording is requested, the arbiter shall apply to the FIE’s representative, they shall play back the record together and upon discussions with such representative the arbiter shall make the final decision.

At any moment, the FIE’s representative shall be capable to ask the arbiter to review his/her decision.

Source: www.fencingfuture.org

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