How a bout works
Modern Olympic fencing is governed by the FIE (International Fencing Federation) rulebook. Below is a plain-language overview of how a bout works, for spectators, beginners and parents new to the sport.
A fencing bout is contested on a 14-metre long, 1.5-2 metre wide piste. Fencers face each other behind on-guard lines. A referee controls the bout; electric apparatus registers valid hits. Pool bouts are fenced to 5 points in 3 minutes. Direct-elimination bouts are fenced to 15 points in three 3-minute periods separated by 1-minute breaks.
Target varies by weapon. In foil, only the torso (shoulders to groin at the front, shoulders to waist at the back) counts. In épée, the entire body is valid. In sabre, everything above the waist, including arms and head.
Foil and sabre use the right-of-way convention: when both fencers land simultaneously, the referee awards the point to the one who had priority (i.e. initiated the last uninterrupted attack). Épée has no priority — whoever lands first scores. If both hit within 40ms of each other in épée, both earn a point.
Cards escalate penalties. Yellow: warning. Red: a point is awarded to the opponent. Black: expulsion from the event. Repeated yellow offences in the same bout become red. Examples: crossing legs, body contact, turning the back, use of a non-conforming weapon.
All protective clothing must meet at least 350 Newtons of resistance (800N for world-level events). Masks are FIE-certified with a bib rated to the same standard. Weapons are weighed, measured and tested before every bout. Blades flex on impact to protect both fencers.
Team bouts use a three-fencer relay format. Each fencer in Team A fences each fencer in Team B in nine rounds of 3 minutes or up to 5 points added to a running total — first team to 45 wins. Substitutions are allowed under strict rules.
For the authoritative rulebook, see fie.org/fie/documents/rules.
