Section 6: Scoring
6.1 Touch Validity
Each valid touch scores 1 point. The electronic apparatus determines the materiality of a touch, while the referee determines (in foil and sabre) whether the touch should be awarded based on priority analysis (Technical Rules t.53–59):
- Foil: A colored light (red or green) indicates an on-target touch against the lamé. A white light indicates an off-target touch (Technical Rules t.78). Off-target touches in foil halt the action but do not score.
- Épée: Only colored lights (red/green) are used. Any touch on any surface scores, as the entire body is valid. There is no off-target indication. Per Annexe B to the Material Rules (Épée, Timing), the apparatus registers a double touch when both hits arrive less than 40 ms apart and registers only the first hit when the interval exceeds 50 ms, with the apparatus calibrated to a tolerance between those two limits.
- Sabre: A colored light indicates an on-target touch anywhere on the conductive lamé, mask, or glove cuff (Technical Rules t.97). Hits arriving on a non-valid part of the target are not registered by the apparatus and do not stop the fencing phrase (t.98). Once a hit is registered, the apparatus will register a second hit from the other fencer only if it arrives within a maximum of 170 ms, with a tolerance of ±10 ms (Annexe B to the Material Rules, Sabre, Principles, para. 8).
6.2 Individual Bout Scoring
- Pool bouts: First to 5 touches or highest score after 3 minutes (Technical Rules t.50ss).
- DE bouts: First to 15 touches or highest score after three 3-minute periods.
6.3 Team Bout Scoring
Team relay bouts accumulate to a maximum of 45 touches across 9 relay bouts. Individual relay results carry over — if Team A leads 23–20 after bout 5, bout 6 begins at that score and is fenced to a target of 30.
6.4 Video Refereeing
The referee, together with the video-referee, may review an action a maximum of four times, in real time or slow motion, at any speed (Technical Rules t.62.1). Review may occur at the referee's initiative, at the request of the athlete, in case of a tied score before the decisive hit, or at the video-referee's request (t.62.5). If the fencers' scores are equal at the end of the match, the referee must use video-refereeing for the decisive hit before giving a decision (t.62.3). Once the decision is given, it is final and no further review of the same action can be requested (t.62.5).