Handshaking Rule Still Suspended

Following a review including representatives of the Rules, Safety and Medical Committees, the requirement for fencers to shake hands at the end of a match for all BF licensed competitions is still suspended.

The Handshaking Rule was suspended in March 2020 – see news post here.

Up until March 2020 shaking hands was part of the rules of the sport. The penalty for refusing to shake hands would have been a Black card (expulsion from the competition).

This rule was suspended by the FIE and remains so at this time under their published COVID protocols.

Fencers are still required to return to the on-guard line and salute at the end of a match.   Competition organisers should remind referees of this rule update as part of the Referee Briefing and ensure this information is passed to the competitors.

In consideration of the FIE rules, COVID prevalence and the significant levels of cold/flu at this time of year, BF recommends a similar approach to ending matches/bouts for now.

If both fencers still wish to shake hands, the use of hand sanitiser will reduce risk of infection.

Please get in touch with us here if you have any questions regarding this news post.

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