MASK AND CLOTHING

1. GENERAL CONDITIONS

m.25 1. Protection. The equipment and clothing must provide the competitor with the maximum protection compatible with the freedom of movement necessary for  fencing.

2. Safety. It must not be possible for the opponent to be obstructed or injured by the equipment, nor for the opponent’s weapon to be caught up in or deflected by the equipment which, in consequence, must have neither buckles nor openings in which the opponent’s point may be caught up — except accidentally — and thus held or deflected. The jacket and its collar must be completely buttoned or done up.

3. Characteristics of the clothing. Fencers’ clothing must be made of sufficiently robust material and be clean and in good condition.

The material from which the equipment is made must not have a surface which is smooth enough to cause the pointe d’arrêt, the button or the opponent’s hit to glance off (cf. m.30)

Clothing must be made entirely in cloth able to resist a pressure of 800 Newtons. Very particular attention must be paid to the way the seams under the armpits, if there are any, are made. An undergarment consisting of a protective under-plastron covering the vital upper areas of the body (following the design given in Annexe A to these Rules, ‘Safety norms for manufacturers’) resistant to 800 Newtons is also mandatory.

Fencers’ clothing may be of different colours, but on the body it must be a single colour, white or a light shade.

4. Jacket. At all weapons, for men and ladies, the lower edge of the jacket must overlap the breeches by at least 10 cm when the fencer is in the on guard-position (cf. m.28, m.34).

The jacket must include a lining making a double thickness of material for the sleeve down to the elbow of the sword arm and covering the flank up to the region of the armpit. At épée the fencer is required to wear a regulation jacket, which must cover the whole of the surface of the trunk.

Ladies’ equipment must, furthermore, include breast protectors made of metal or some other rigid material.

5. Breeches. The breeches must be fastened below the knees.

With breeches, the fencer must wear socks which cover the legs right up to the breeches. These socks must be held up in such a way that they cannot fall down.

The fencer is permitted to wear socks with a turn-over showing the colours of his national team 10 cm high.

6. Glove. At all weapons, the gauntlet of the glove must, in all circumstances, fully cover approximately half the forearm of the competitor’s sword arm to prevent the opponent’s blade entering the sleeve of the jacket.

7. Mask. The mask must be made with meshes (space between the wires) of maximum 2.1 mm and from wires with a minimum gauge of 1 mm diameter.

Masks, at all weapons, must be made in accordance with the safety standards described in Annexe A to these Rules and must carry the quality label specified in those standards.

When the checks are carried out the person responsible for them may, if in doubt, ensure that the mesh of the mask, both at the front and at the sides, is able to withstand, without permanent deformation, the introduction into the mesh of a conical instrument, the angle of the surface of the cone being at 4° to the axis and at a pressure of 12 kg.

A mask which does not comply with the safety requirements laid down in this article will be rendered visibly unusable by the weapon checking personnel or the Referee in the presence of the person who presented the mask to the weapon check or the team captain of the fencer concerned.

The bib of the mask must be made with cloth resistant to 1600 Newtons. The mask must include a safety strap at the rear.

 2. RULES SPECIFIC TO FOIL

(a) Glove (cf. m.25)

m.26 The glove may be slightly padded.

(b) Mask (cf. m.25)

m.27 The mesh of the mask must not extend below the chin. It must be insulated internally and externally by a plastic material resistant to impact.

(c) Conductive jacket (over-jacket or plastron)

m.28 The conductive surface of the conductive over-jacket which is worn over the protective jacket must cover the valid target of the fencer (cf. t.47) entirely and without omission when standing upright, when in the on guard position and when lunging.

Whatever the means of fastening used, the conductive material must cover a sufficient area to ensure that it covers the valid target in all positions of the fencer. The overlap must always be on the sword-arm side.

The interior of conductive jackets must be electrically insulated by a lining or by an adequate treatment of the conductive lamé material.

Figure 14

The conductive collar must have a minimum height of 3 cm.

The lamé material used must be of conductive thread in both warp and weft. As regards electrical conductibility it must conform to the following requirements.

(a) The electrical resistance measured between any two points of the lamé material must not be greater than 5 ohms. The resistance will be  measured by using a 500 g copper or brass weight which has a hemispherical end with a radius of 4 mm. This weight, placed on this end and moved about on the lamé, must maintain continuous contact with a maximum resistance of 5 ohms.

(b) In no circumstances must the use of a conductive jacket be allowed if it has holes in it, or patches of oxidation or other defects which may prevent the registration of a valid hit.

(c) A conductive jacket which is considered to be unusable will be so marked with a very visible coloured paint by a member of the SEMI Committee of the FIE.

The conductive jacket must be so made that when it is laid flat there is a straight line between the point of junction of the lines of the groin and the two points corresponding to the tops of the hip bones (ilium).

The band of non-conductive material passing between the legs must be at least 3 cm wide (see Figure 14, above).

(d) Bodywire and attachment plugs

m.29 The conductive wires of the bodywire (the fencers’ personal equipment) must be well insulated electrically from each other, twisted or joined together, and not be affected by humidity. This bodywire has a connecting plug at each end. The electrical resistance of each of these conductive wires (plug to plug and plug to crocodile clip) must not exceed 1 ohm.

At the spool end the three-pin male plug, which must comply with the conditions of manufacture and assembly laid down in Article m.55, will be attached to the wires in the following manner:

— the pin at 15 mm from the centre pin to the conductive jacket;

— the central pin to the wire in the weapon;

— the pin at 20 mm from the centre pin to the foil earth circuit or the conductive piste.

The wire which joins the rear connection of the bodywire to the conductive jacket by a crocodile clip must be separate for at least 40 cm. This wire must be soldered to the crocodile clip and this soldering must not be covered by any insulation or any material whatsoever. However, any method of fixing which presents the same guarantees as soldering may be used, provided it has been accepted by the SEMI Committee.

The crocodile clip must be robust and ensure perfect contact with the conductive jacket. Its width at the point of contact must be at least 10 mm; the inside of the clip must leave a free space at least 8 mm long by 3 mm high. It must be clipped onto the back of the conductive jacket on the sword-arm side.

At the end nearest the foil, inside the guard, any method of attachment is allowed but the method adopted must always conform to the specification laid down in Article m.5.

In addition, the pins of the plug must in no circumstances be able to hit the metal part of the guard.

The wire from the point will be protected by an insulated sheath from the place where it enters the guard right up to the insulated connection on the plug socket. Under no circumstances may the non-insulated wire extend beyond this insulated plug connection (cf. m.5, m.9).

3. RULES SPECIFIC TO EPEE

(a) Mask

m.30 The mask must not be covered, in whole or in part, by material which can cause the point to glance off (cf. m.25).

The mask must be so shaped that the bib reaches below the prominences of the collar bone (clavicles).

(b) Bodywire

m.31 The conductive wires of the bodywire (the fencers’ personal equipment) must be well insulated from each other, insensitive to humidity, and either joined or twisted together. The maximum electrical resistance allowed for each of these conductive wires from plug to plug is 1 ohm.

The bodywire has a connecting plug at each end. At the spool end, a three-pin male plug is connected to the wire as follows:

— the pin 15 mm from the centre pin to whichever wire is most directly connected to the pointe d’arrêt;

— the centre pin to the other wire on the épée;

— the pin 20 mm from the centre pin to the épée’s earth circuit and to the conductive piste.

This plug must conform to the conditions of manufacture and mounting specified in Article m.55.

Inside the guard the choice of system is free but the system chosen must comply with the conditions of Article m.5.

In addition, the pins of the plug must not on any account permit contact with the metal of the guard.

The two wires coming from the tip must be protected by two insulating sheaths, one for each wire, from the point where they enter the guard right up to the two insulated connections on the plug socket. In no case may uninsulated wires extend beyond the plug connections (cf. m.5, m.9).

4. RULES SPECIFIC TO SABRE

(a) Mask

m.32 The metal mesh of the mask must not be insulated and must ensure electrical conductivity.

The bib and any trim must be entirely covered with conductive material

with the same electrical characteristics as the conductive jacket.

The trim may also be made of conductive material.

The electrical resistance between the crocodile clip and any point on the mask must be less than 5 ohms.

The electrical contact between the conductive jacket and the mask must be ensured by means of a wire and one or two crocodile clips. The wire must be attached, either by means of a crocodile clip or by being soldered, to the mesh of the mask, and must be between 30 cm and 40 cm long. The crocodile clip, the design and size of which must conform with the conditions laid down in Article m.29, must be soldered to the other end of the wire.

(b) Glove

m.33 The  conductive material, which may be removable or fixed, of the regulation glove of the fencer’s sword arm must cover all the sleeve down to below the the external cubital styloid (small prominent bone of the wrist), both when  the fencer is in the ‘on-guard’ position and when the sword arm is straight.

The conductive material must be turned over into the inside of the gauntlet to a depth of at least 5 cm.

In order to guarantee a good contact with the sleeve of the conductive jacket, it is necessary to use an elastic band, a popper button or any system which will guarantee conductivity and which has been approved by the SEMI Committee.

(c) Conductive jacket

m.34 The fencer must wear, over his jacket, a conductive over-jacket, the conductive surface of which must cover entirely and without omission the valid surface of the body above a horizontal line which, when the fencer is on guard, joins, round the fencer’s trunk, the upper point of the creases formed by the thighs.

The conductive surface must cover the arms as far as the wrists. The jacket must have a collar which is at least 3 cm high. The jacket must have a conductive flap, 2 cm x 3 cm in the middle of the back, just below the collar, to which the crocodile clip from the mask can be attached.

Whatever means of fastening is used, the conductive material must be ample enough to guarantee covering the valid target area in any position.

The conductive material (lamé) must satisfy the conditions laid down for testing (cf. m.28).

The sleeves of the conductive jacket must be fixed at the wrist by means of an elastic band. There must be a strap passing between the fencer’s legs to keep the jacket in place (see Figure 15, above).

(d) Bodywire and plugs

m.35 The fencer must use the bodywire specified for foil, plugged into the guard plug by means of any system which conforms with the conditions for manufacture and assembly laid down in Articles m.5, m.29 and m.55.

CHAPTER 3. CHECKING OF MATERIAL

1. COMPETENCE

m.36 The checking of the electrical material used by the organisers for the World Championships (Open, Junior and Cadet) and the fencing competitions of the Olympic Games, as well as the checking of the fencers’ equipment, must be supervised by the SEMI Committee.

To carry out this supervision, three members of the above-mentioned Committee must be appointed and put in charge of this work. However, when the Organising country possesses somebody competent, two members of the above Committee will be appointed.

The delegates of the Committee for Electrical Apparatus and Equipment (SEMI) have the right at any time to seize a weapon, a bodywire, a conductive jacket or any item of equipment or clothing for examination.

2. CHECKING OF FENCERS’ EQUIPMENT

m.37 In all official FIE competitions the fencers are responsible for their equipment (including weapons and clothes) at the moment they present themselves on the piste.

In particular blades, masks and clothing must all carry the label of guarantee specified in the safety standards annexed to these Rules.

The forms of checking laid down by these Rules are only intended to help organisers who must apply the Rules and fencers who must always respect these Rules. These checks can, therefore, in no way absolve any fencers who break the Rules from responsibility.

A. Presentation of equipment to the Weapon Checking Centre

m.38 Fencers are obliged to present themselves at the Weapon Checking Centre, at the time advised in the timetable of each official competition of the FIE, with the equipment they intend to use during the event referred to. The number of articles handed to the Checking Centre is limited to four weapons, two bodywires, two conductive jackets and two masks and two mask-to-jacket leads per fencer.

Each competitor must submit his weapons in a fencing bag at the Weapon Checking Centre reception. An inventory of the equipment is made by an organising official and a label is put on the bag, indicating the name of the country of the competitor. The bags are stored in the order in which they arrive, and are checked in the same order.

Provision should be made for weapons to be submitted 48 hours before the start of the first event, at any rate for teams which have already arrived at that time. Having been checked, the weapons are returned to their owners 12 hours after having been received.

Weapons, equipment and clothing presented to the Checking Centre after 5 p.m. on the day before each event may be refused.

Each head of delegation must indicate where he can be contacted should a serious fault be detected while the equipment belonging to his fencers is being checked.

If a weapon is found to be defective at the first check a form is attached indicating the fault: e.g. the length of the blade, the insulation, the spring of the point, cutting edges, etc. This form is completed at the second.check. However, when a weapon is rejected, it must go through the entire cycle again.

m.39 If material or equipment presented to the Checking Centre appears to have been assembled in such a way that the fencer can control in a fraudulent manner the registering of hits or the malfunctioning of the judging apparatus, the representative of the SEMI Committee may, after the examination of the irregular items, require a penalty against the person who submitted them.

The fencers or the team captain can only insist on the return of the equipment which has been checked one hour before the start of the event.

Any repairs to equipment rejected during the checking can be carried out in the repair workshop. Repaired equipment will, however, only be tested again after the first set of checks to fencers’ equipment has been completed.

B. Checking body

m.40 The Executive Committee of the FIE will appoint the member(s) of the SEMI Committee to be responsible for the checking of weapons, clothing and equipment of the fencers at the fencing competitions of the Olympic Games and for the World Championships.

For other official FIE competitions the Organising Committee will appoint one or more persons to be responsible for this checking.

m.41 The items of equipment which have been thus checked will be distinctively marked. A fencer must not, on pain of penalties (cf. t.120), use any equipment which does not bear this check mark.

C. Checking personnel and equipment

m.42 In order to allow those carrying out the checking to fulfil their task, the organisers are required to make available the equipment (gauges, weights, scales, electrical measuring machines, etc.) and the personnel necessary to carry out the work.

The Organising Committee must provide the FIE technical delegates responsible for checking the weapons and equipment with at least the following apparatus:

1. Two gauges allowing the lengths of blades and the depths and diameters of the guards at all weapons to be measured quickly.

2. Devices for measuring the flexibility of blades and the resistance of the mesh of masks.

3. An electrical checking device to quickly check that the electrical resistance of the point is not too high, and that the bodywire and the weapon are correctly assembled. Devices enabling these measurements to be taken easily are, in fact, commercially available.

4. Weights of 750 g and 500 g to test the springs of the points in épée and foil, in the workshop and at each piste.

5. A device allowing the lighting stroke and residual travel of épée points to be accurately measured, in the workshop and at each piste.

6. Labels to indicate that a weapon has been checked and that it satisfies the regulation, or has been rejected.

7. The organisers must provide a special stamp to be affixed to each conductive jacket to enable the referees to verify that its resistance in ohms has been checked by the technical delegates of the FIE. Nevertheless, this compulsory checking mark is not sufficient to justify the use of the jacket. In effect, it is the task of the Referee to check, before each event, that the conductive jacket, having been checked and marked, entirely covers the valid target area, and accordingly to make the final decision whether it may be used.

8. A special ink or paint must be provided to mark the guards, blades and points of weapons which have been checked. Nevertheless, those responsible may use other methods to mark the weapons and conductive jackets.

m.43 To carry out the checks properly and rapidly, ‘workshop’ teams of three people should be used. (At least three such workshops should be provided.)

(a) The first person checks that all the weapons are normal with respect to their dimensions by passing them through a gauge.

(b) The second does all electrical tests.

(c) The third affixes the checking marks and replaces the weapons in the fencing bag.