Competition Rules & Policies

Competition Rules

Please see the the AFF Competition Rules as adjustments to the FIE competition Rules.  The Official English translations of the FIE Competition Rules may be found on the British Fencing Federation website.

Some information which fencers may find useful regarding AFC competition score sheets is as follows:

*  The DT team receives score sheets from the field of play in varying states of legibility and sometimes with incorrectly recorded results.  For pools, the score grid is taken as the primary score-keeping record, with the list of individual bouts appearing below the grid being used as the secondary score-keeping record where there are errors or missing results from the grid that require clarification.

*  Fencers are strongly encouraged to check all scores recorded.  It is not the practice of the AFF's DT team to require fencers to sign score sheets, but where this is done, it is taken as a strong indication that the relevant fencer (or coach) has checked all parts of the score sheet, including their own wins, losses, and scores.

*  There is also a reasonable level of expectation that the honour of our sport is respected by those fencers whose results are incorrectly recorded in their favour, and will seek to have this corrected regardless of detriment to their own results.

*  The competition software that the AFF uses double-checks all scores to ensure that each bout has a winner and loser recorded.  Where the software indicates there is an error, or where the DT team identifies this as part of the data entry process, fencers and / or referees are called to the DT office to clarify results where necessary.

*  The purpose of the production of the ranking list after the pools and before the direct elimination is to allow fencers to again check all results, specifically to again check that their own results have been correctly recorded.  During the course of AFC tournaments each year, a very small percentage of pool ranking lists are identified as incorrect, and invariably these are due to a fencer not checking their pool sheet results prior to their submission to the DT.  Generally, corrections are made on the spot, and DEs are re-drawn (where fencing has not commenced in the DE).

Team Events

The AFF hosts four different types of Team events.  These are shown below.  At all Team events, medals are awarded to the winners, with certificates awarded for second and (equal) third places.

State-based team events (at Under-15s/Cadets, Juniors, and Open Championships) - there is a maximum of two teams per State for each weapon/gender.  Where other Nations are competing, this rule extends to two teams per Nation.  These events are run as a straight direct elimination, with no separate rounds competed for third place onwards.

Club-based team events (usually only at AFC3 when in Perth) - one team per club is permitted for each weapon/gender.   These events are also run as a straight direct elimination, with no separate rounds competed for third place onwards.

School-based team events (at AFC Schools - Teams) - each State is permitted to enter up to two Teams for each weapon/gender, and the host State may enter a third.  All members of each Team must be from the same school.  However, where there are less than eight Teams competing, any vacant places will be filled from additionally nominated teams in order based on the number of Junior Competitive members in the State.  The event is run as a pool unique format.

School-based team events (at AFC Schools - Individuals) - each State is permitted to enter one team per age category for each weapon/gender, with the team made up of the individual fencers nominated for that event.  All members of each Team need not be from the same school.  Where there are insufficient individual fencers to make up a team, a state may nominate other fencers to compete on the team - however, each fencer can still only compete in a single individual event.  These Team events are run as a straight direct elimination, with no separate rounds competed for third place onwards.

Veterans Age Categories

From 2013, the FIE has changed its age category assessment for veteran fencers.  You are now considered as being part of an age category if you turned 50 or 60 or 70 any time in the relevant year (not 1 September any more).  This change has also been adopted by the AFF for its domestic circuit to align ranking and selection processes with the FIE, in that you are now considered as being part of an age category if you turned 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 any time in the relevant year (not as at the date of the AFC event).  So, for example if you were born any time in 1963, then in all 2013 AFC events and in the 2013 World Veterans Championships, you are considered to be in the 50+ age category.

Black Card Penalty

A fencer penalised by a black card (which carries the penalty of exclusion from an event, suspension from the rest of the tournament and exclusion for the following two months of the current or following FIE season) at any international competitions or AFF national competitions, shall be excluded from competing:

• in official FIE competitions - for two months, from the date of the offence, in the age group competition season in which they are eligible to compete in the current or following FIE season; and
• in all other international competitions - for two months from the date of the offence; and
• in the next AFF national tournament in which they would have been eligible to compete; and
• at the state level - all state and interstate level competitions from the date of the offence to the conclusion of the next AFF national tournament in which they would have been eligible to compete.

The AFF will take responsibility for advising State Associations as to which registered fencers are penalised in accordance with the above policy.

AFF Late Entry Policy and Process.

All Australian entries to AFF tournaments must be made through an AFF affiliated State Association.

Late Entries may be notified to AFF and the hosting State Association via the fencer's affiliated State association in advance of a tournament, with payment made by state officials at the tournament to AFF Tournament Commission representatives. Late entries from States will also be accepted at the tournament if made through a nominated official of that state or that state has advised the AFF Tournament Management Commission that direct late entries from their fencers may be accepted for that tournament.

It is the responsibility of the State to ensure that their fencers are in good standing with the State, properly affiliated and capitated to the AFF. If a levy is charged by the fencer's affiliated state, the state should notify the Tournament Commission prior to the event of the amount of the levy. If the state has not advised that a late entry fencer's levy has already been paid, it will be added to the late entry fee paid directly by fencers to the AFF Tournament Management Commission representatives and remitted to the fencers affiliated state by the AFF.

The State hosting an AFF tournament should not accept any late entries directly from other State's fencers.

Weapons Control

The Weapons Control Policy can be downloaded from the Documents and Policies folder (see here).

Referee Appointment

This policy for the appointment of referees can be downloaded below, and applies to all open and veteran national tournaments from 2009.

Attachments:

055_AFF Referee Appointment Policy v3.1 (Dec08).pdf

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