Section 8: Safety Considerations
8.1 Equipment Safety Standards
All equipment used in FIE-sanctioned competition must bear the FIE homologation mark, obtained through the certification process set out in Annexe A to the Material Rules:
- Manufacturing Standards: Blades must be made of maraging steel (Material Rules m.2.1) and comply with the mechanical and chemical composition standards in Annexe A, Section 1.
- Blade Testing: Blades undergo flexibility and curvature testing. Foil blades must bend between 5.5 and 9.5 cm under a 200 g test weight (m.8.5); épée blades between 4.5 and 7 cm (m.16.5); sabre blades between 4 and 7 cm (m.23.4). Any curve of the blade must be less than 1 cm for foil and épée, and less than 4 cm for sabre.
- Fencers' Responsibility: Fencers arm, equip, and clothe themselves and fence at their own responsibility and at their own risk. The safety measures specified in the Rules are designed to reinforce fencers' safety but cannot guarantee it (Technical Rules t.20).
8.2 Broken Blade Protocol
When a competitor against whom a hit has been registered has broken their blade, the hit must be annulled unless the break occurred clearly after the hit was registered (Technical Rules t.56.7). If a fencer's electric weapon breaks during a bout, the referee immediately calls “Halt.” A hit made during or after a fall must also be annulled (t.56.10).
8.3 Injuries and Withdrawal
The Technical Rules address injuries and withdrawal of a competitor (t.37–44), including the conditions under which the bout may be stopped and restarted, and the circumstances requiring a competitor's withdrawal from the event.
8.4 Non-Regulation Equipment
Whenever a fencer on the piste is found in possession of equipment that is non-regulation or defective, the referee confiscates the equipment and submits it to the experts on duty for examination (Technical Rules t.70). The equipment is returned only after any necessary measures are completed and, if appropriate, after payment of repair expenses, and it must be rechecked before use again.
8.5 Equipment Inspection
Before each bout, the referee conducts an inspection of both fencers' equipment (Technical Rules t.64–69), including:
- Presence of the FIE guarantee label on clothing, masks, and weapons
- Conductive jacket conformity for the relevant weapon (foil: m.28; sabre: m.34)
- Insulation of the wires inside the guard and the pressure of the spring in the point of foils and épées (t.68.1)
- Absence of any electronic communication equipment that would allow a person off the piste to communicate with the fencer (t.64.6)
At major competitions, the SEMI Commission conducts thorough pre-competition equipment checks under the homologation process described in Annexe A to the Material Rules.
8.6 Order and Discipline
All persons taking part in or attending a fencing competition, including spectators, must observe strictly and faithfully the Rules and Statutes of the FIE, and the traditional customs of courtesy and integrity (Technical Rules t.107–109). Anyone who threatens or insults an official commits an offence of the 3rd group and is penalised accordingly (t.109).