Hosting the Intervarsities:
The Intervarsity Fencing Championships shall be hosted by a different college every year at a date convenient to all college clubs and shall not clash with any National or International competition which a club may wish to enter.
The host college shall ask all colleges for a list of the competitions and their dates that the colleges wish to attend
The Intervarsities shall be hosted in accordance with below:
- The venues for the next three to five Intervarsities shall be decided at the Captain's meeting held at the Intervarsities.
- The next host club shall confirm their ability to host the event by the end of the academic year.
- The host club shall send an invitation to all clubs/colleges to attend the Intervarsity championships before Christmas.
- If a club should find that they are unable to host it, the championships shall default to the next college in line,
- In certain circumstances and with agreement the championships may be held at whichever club is able to host it.
- No Entry Fee shall be charged to any club for the right to compete.
The running of the Intervarsity Fencing Championships.
- The Championships shall comprise of six weapons: Men's and Ladies Foil, Men's and Ladies Epee and Men's and Ladies Sabre.
- Each club shall supply whatever competitive equipment possible to assist in the running of the Championships, i.e. scoring boxes, ground wires and spools.
- All clubs may invite or bring persons who are qualified to preside over bouts.
- On the first day, the following weapons shall be contested: Men's epee, Ladies Foil & Men's Sabre. On the second day, any matches outstanding shall be run off first, while the initial bouts for Ladies Epee, Men's Foil and Ladies Sabre are started
- The winner of the competition shall be the college with the most victories across all six weapons.
- The individual student awards shall be awarded based on performance at the Championships.
- The awards shall be made following the finish of the last match.
- The Directeur Technique of the Tournament shall be the captain of the host club, or his/her designated representative(s)
- In the event that any bout shall run to time, the winner shall be decided in accordance with F.I.E. rulings. Should the bout be scoreless or a draw, the president will allocate priority on the basis of a coin toss. The fencers shall fence for one further minute and the winner will be the fencer who scores during the one-minute bout or at the expiration of one minute the fencer with priority.
- In order to qualify to take part in the Championships, a fencer MUST be a student registered in the First or subsequent year of an undergraduate or post-graduate certificate, diploma or degree to sit exams. **
- No College shall field a fencer, who is NOT a registered student with that institute, except in the case of a student using their Year of Grace. Should a college field such a fencer, all bouts for that fencer shall be declared null and void. Victories over other colleges will not be allowed to stand. **
- When filling in the order of fencers, the team captain shall not be allowed to see the order of the other team if it is already filled in.
- The matches shall be fought as the best of nine and the winner in any individual match shall be the College that achieves five victories within the match.
- The score sheets shall be returned to the main desk by the Match President immediately, where the results will be recorded.
- In the event any disagreement over the running of the event, or any aspect of the Tournament, a captain's meeting shall be immediately called to settle the disagreement.
** - Fledgling clubs shall be exempt from this rule and may amalgamate with another club in order to compete.
Duties of the Directeur Technique.
- The Directeur Technique shall be the Captain of the host club or a person designated by the Captain to perform these duties. This person does not necessarily have to be a student.
- On his appointment the designated individual, referred to hereafter as the DT, shall take responsibility for organizing presidents and administrators.
- The minimum number of people required shall be five (5). The DT, two administrators to record and calculate victories, an assistant DT and at least one person to assist wherever needed.
- Throughout the weekend the DT and his/her assistant should wear something to distinguish them and make them as visible as possible to competitors.
- In all cases the DT's decision is final.
- The DT shall also take responsibility for confirming all results and the presentation of awards.
Duties of the Host Club.
- The Host club shall confirm their ability to host the Intervarsities by the end of the academic year in order to give the next college time to prepare should they prove unable to do so.
- Invitations to the Intervarsities should be sent out by late November with a confirmed date and a provisional venue for the Intervarsities. These invitations should be sent by both e-mail and ordinary postal mail. Invitations should also be sent to other colleges which may be thinking of setting up a fencing team or may have a fledgling team inviting them to attend the Intervarsities as provided for in the rules governing the running of the Intervarsities.
- The host club shall also supply accommodation lists, which are convenient to the venue for the Intervarsities. The hosting club is under no obligation to make booking arrangements on behalf of any other club.
- The club shall make arrangements for a meet & greet on the evening before the Intervarsities and a dinner party/banquet the following evening. This is the only aspect of the Intervarsities for which a club may charge. The cost of this should be kept as low as possible while providing an evening of merit.
- The club shall also organise music and entertainment for the evening as governed by the guidelines for Banquet Entertainment.
The Captains' Meetings
- There shall be three captains' meetings throughout the year. One at the beginning of the year, one at the Intervarsities and one at the end of the year.
- These meetings shall be hosted by the club hosting the Intervarsities for that season, i.e. for the 2002/2003 season, the 2003 Intervarsity hosts will host the meetings.
- The meetings for the beginning and end of the year shall be held in either Dublin or Belfast, in accordance with the host of the Intervarsities, i.e. if the host is a Northern club, it will be held in Belfast, if it is a Southern club, the meeting will be held in Dublin.
- The purpose of the meeting at the beginning of the season will be to discuss the Intervarsities and also to plan any other competitions which colleges may wish to organise.
- The meeting at the Intervarsities will cover only areas regarding the running of the competition. Any changes agreed at this meeting will only come into effect at the beginning of the following season and may not be, under any circumstances, applied in retro.
- The meeting at the end of the year shall be used to review the fencing year in terms of inter-college association, to give final approval to any changes to the running of the Intervarsities and in every third year shall review the constitution and make any changes deemed necessary.
- Any and all fledgling clubs shall be invited to send representatives to the captains' meetings and to participate as fully as possible regardless of the status of their club.
Banquet Entertainment
1.A Dinner party/Banquet is to be held after the first day of competition
2.Entertainment at the Dinner is the responsibility of the host club and must include the Intervarsities Boat race.
3.The rules of the Race are that each team supplies two members to drink two pints. At the signal the first drinker picks up his/her pint and drinks it, when finished s/he puts the glass upside down on his/her head. This is the signal for the second drinker to start. The first team to finish both pints wins!
Calculation of results
- The results of each match must be signed by the captains of both teams and the president of the match
- The score sheet is to be returned to the administrators' desk immediately for addition to the results table.
- Overall victory of the Championships shall be decided by the number of match victories achieved over other colleges.
- In the event that two colleges shall tie, the result shall be decided by determining the number of victories out of the six weapons one college has over the other and then by fight indicators.
- Individual awards shall be decided on performance at the Championships in the absence of any common frame of competition reference.
Applicable F.I.E. Rulings
T.17 Coming on Guard
The fencer whose number is called first should place himself on the right of the Referee, except in the case of a bout between a right and a left-hander, if the left-hander is called first.
Competitors are always put on guard, whether at the beginning of the bout or subsequently in the centre of the width of the piste. When placed on guard during the bout, the distance between the two competitors must be such that, in the on guard position, with the arms straight and the blades in line, the points of the two blades cannot make contact.
After the scoring of a valid hit the competitors are put on guard in the middle of the piste. If no hit is awarded they are replaced in the position that they occupied when the bout was interrupted.
At the beginning of each period and of any additional minute of fencing time, the fencers are placed on guard in the middle of the piste.
Competitors come on guard when the Referee gives the order 'On Guard' after which the Referee asks, 'Are you ready?#39; On receiving an affirmative reply or in the absence of a negative reply he gives the command for fencing to commence with the word 'Play'.
T.18. Beginning, Stopping and Restarting the Bout.
1. Beginning the Bout
The start of the bout is signaled by the word 'Play'. No movement made or initiated before the word 'play' is counted.
2. Stopping the bout
The bout stops on the word 'Halt', except in the case of special events occurring which modify the regular and normal conditions of the bout.
Directly the order 'Halt' has been given a competitor may not start a new action; only the movement which has been begun before the order was given remains valid. Everything that takes place afterwards is entirely non-valid.
The order 'halt' is also given if the play of the competitors is dangerous, confused, or contrary to the Rules, if one of the competitors is disarmed or leaves the piste, or if, while retiring, he approaches too near the spectators or the referee.
3. Leaving the piste
The Referee may not allow a fencer to leave the piste, save in exceptional circumstances. If a competitor does so without permission he is liable to incur the penalties enumerated in Articles t.114, t.116, t.120.
4. Fencing at close quarters
T.19 Fencing at close quarters is allowed so long as the competitors can weld their weapons correctly and the Referee can, at foil and sabre, follow the phase.
5. Corps a corps
T.20 Corps a corps is said to exist when the two competitors are in contact; when this occurs the Referee must stop the bout (t.25, t.63)
At foil and sabre it is forbidden for a fencer to cause corps a corps. Should such an offence occur, the Referee will penalise the fencer at fault as specified in Articles t.114, t.116, t.120
6. Displacing the target and passing the opponent.
T.21 Displacing the target and ducking are allowed even if during the action the unarmed hand comes into contact with the piste.
It is forbidden to turn ones back on one's opponent during the bout.
When a fencer goes past his opponent during a bout, the Referee must immediately call halt and replace the competitors in the positions which they occupied before the passing took place.
When hits are made as a fencer passes his opponent, the hit made immediately is valid; a hit made after passing his opponent by the competitor who has made the passing movement is annulled, but the hit made immediately, even when turning around, by the competitor who has been subjected to the offensive action, is a valid.
7. Substitution and use of the non-sword hand and arm
T.22 The use of the non-sword hand and arm to carry out an offensive or defensive action is forbidden. Should such an offence occur, the hit scored by the fencer at fault is annulled.
At foil and sabre, it is forbidden to protect the target area or to substitute another part of the body for the target area, either by covering or by an abnormal movement.
8. Ground gained or lost
T.24 When the Order to halt is given, ground gained is held until a hit has been given. When competitors are replaced on guard, each fencer should retire an equal distance in order to keep fencing distance.
9. Crossing the Limits of the Piste.
T.26 If one of the competitors leaves the piste only a hit made by the fencer who remains on the piste can be counted valid, even in the case of a double hit.
(b) Rear Limits
T.27 Should a competitor cross the rear limit of the piste completely i.e. with both feet - a hit will be scored against him.
(c) Lateral Boundaries
If one of the competitors crosses the lateral boundaries of the piste with one foot, he is not penalised but the Referee must immediately call 'Halt' and replace the competitors on guard on the piste.
A competitor who crosses on of the lateral boundaries with both feet is penalised. When competitors are replaced on guard, the opponent of the competitor who has crossed the lateral boundary will step forward one meter from the position he occupied when his opponent left the piste; the competitor who is penalised is considered as having been hit.
If the exercise of this penalty places a competitor with both feet beyond the rear limit of the piste, that competitor is considered as having been hit.
T.29 A competitor who crosses one of the lateral boundaries of the piste as the result of an accidental cause (such as a collision or jostling) incurs no penalty whatever.
10. Duration of the bout
T.30 The effective duration of the bout is:
- For pools, 5 hits, maximum 3 minutes (amended from 4 minutes Jan 2002)
- For direct elimination bouts, 15 hits, maximum 9 minutes divided into 3 periods of 3 minutes, with one-minute pauses between any two periods.
T.31 The fencers may ask how much time they have left to fence each time that the fencing is interrupted.
T.32 At the expiry of the regulation fencing time the timekeeper must shout Halt
Refereeing and judging of hits
1. The Referee
All bouts at fencing are directed by a referee
(a) He calls the roll of the competitors (cf. t.86)
(b) He directs the bout
(c) At the beginning of each bout he must check the weapons, cloths and equipment of the fencers, according to the regulations.
(d) He implements tests necessary to verify the apparatus and locate any faults that may have been found. He will prevent the competitors from hindering the tests by unplugging or changing their equipment at the wrong moment.
(e) He supervises the judges, timekeepers, scorers etc.
(f) He positions himself in such a way as to be able to follow the bout while always being able to see the illumination of the signal lamps.
(g) He penalises faults
(h) He awards the hits
(i) He maintains Order
(j) Whenever he considers it necessary he should consult the experts concerning the electrical apparatus.
4. Method of Judging Hits
(a) Materiality of the hit
The materiality of the hit is established according to the indications of the apparatus and when necessary by consulting the judges. Only the indication of the electrical apparatus as indicated by its own lamps or by the extension lamps can be taken into consideration for judging hits. Under no circumstances can the Referee declare a competitor to be hit unless the apparatus has properly registered the hit.
As soon as the bout has stopped, the Referee reconstructs briefly the movements that composed the last fencing phase.
After reaching a decision regarding the materiality of a hit, the Referee, by applying the rules, decides against which fencer a hit is to be awarded, whether both are hit (epee) or if there is no valid hit.
5. Regulation Equipment and checking of equipment by the referee
Before each bout ensure the pressure of the spring in the point of electric foils and epees conform to the rules. Checking the insulation of the wires and the pressure of the spring will be repeated each time a weapon is charged.
At epee he will check the total travel and the residual travel of the Pointe d'arret:
He will check the total travel by inserting a gauge measuring 1.5mm between the barrel of the Pointe d'arret and the tip.
Fencers completely equipped with all equipment conforming to the regulations and ready to fence, must be present at the time and [place appointed for the beginning of the pool match.
They must arrive on the piste, to fence their bouts with two spare weapons and two body wires which satisfy the regulations and are in perfect working orders.
For any fencer not present or any team which does not have all its members present, when called by the Referee at the time published for the beginning of the pool, match or bouts there will be two repetitions of the call, at intervals of one minute, to be followed by exclusion from the competition by the Referee if the fencer or the entire team have not presented themselves by the third call.
The fencer whether on or off the piste must keep his mask on until the referee calls halt. He may under no circumstances address the referee until the referee has made his decision.
Under no circumstances may a fencer remove their clothes on the piste even to change their body wires
6. The Spectators
T.93 Spectators are obliged not to interfere with the good order of the competition, to do nothing which may tend to influence the fencers or the referee and to respect the decisions of the latter even when they do not agree with them. They must obey any instructions that the referee may deem necessary to give them.
