Following a series of incidents, the British Fencing Safety Guidelines have been updated to require an accessible defibrillator to be available in the venue for veteran events.
Most fencing competitions take place in venues that already have accessible defibrillators in place. These are vital life saving pieces of equipment and are recommended for all competitions.
In consideration of the number of reported incidents that have occurred BF has updated its guidelines to make it a requirement for Veteran Fencing events (events held for the 40+ age groups) to have an accessible defibrillator available in the venue.
See article 5.1 of the updated 2024 Safety Guidelines which can be found here.
The Safety Committee would also like to remind all participants of Article 1.1:
Every fencer also has a duty of care to each of their opponents. In particular this involves fencing in a way that is safe, avoiding hurtful, violent and dangerous actions (cf. also Rules for Competitions t.121.2) and taking action if they see any potentially dangerous situation.
Furthermore, it is the responsibility of every official and coach to ensure that fencers respect this obligation.
To help BF ensure fencing remains as safe a sport as possible please also ensure an Accident and ‘near misses’ reporting form is filled in whenever a relevant incident occurs.
Remember that safety – yours, your opponent’s and that of those around you – is your first priority.
Enjoy your fencing,
BF Safety Committee
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