FENCING - MODERN ELECTRIC AND CLASSIC VISUAL
Salle Angelo, a classic fencing club in Dunedin, organised the first classic fencing competition with visual weapons for the Masters Games 2004 in Dunedin. About twenty veteran fencers entered, including four visitors from Britain, and it proved a success.
For the Masters Games 2006, Salle Angelo is still the organising club, but with the support of Claymore Swords, a modern fencing club in Dunedin, and Fencing South, electric weapons are also included. Over the three days of the competition electric foil and electric epee will be fought first, and visual foil and visual sabre second. These are the four definite events. However, depending on time and numbers, electric sabre, visual epee or team events may also be held.
Our Agreement with the 2006 New Zealand Masters Games Executive Committee (NZMG) reads in paragraph 13;

The Sport agrees to:
13. Conduct events which are open to all participants who meet the minimum age requirements regardless of membership of or affiliation to any organisation and without regard to skill level or experience, except where written consent has been given by NZMG in cases where limited skill or experience might be a safety factor. (This requirement does not preclude The Sport from placing competitors or teams in grades according to skill or experience.)
Therefore, Masters Games fencing cannot be wholly a Fencing NZ competition, and entrants do not need to be affiliated, though many will be. Veteran fencers affiliated to Fencing NZ can obtain ranking points with electric weapons. Fencing NZ wishes to increase veteran fencing in New Zealand and it is providing support through Fencing South. It is hoped that veterans, who are not presently active, will return to the sport after experiencing these Games and become club members and affiliated competitors.

Fencing is an individual sport, one against one. Each weapon will be fought in pools of 6 to 7 fencers, where everyone fences everyone else. Victors are then promoted to the next round of pools. Apart from the ever present danger of a broken blade in a bout, beginners in fencing are more likely to injure themselves and others. If beginners fence beginners, this likelihood increases. At least one year of experience in fencing is advised for health and safety reasons.
Fencers are asked to enter as many events as they can depending on their age group. For those who have difficulty in obtaining a full range of equipment for the competition, it might be possible to borrow or to rent lamés for electric foil, and weapons for electric or visual fencing, from their local clubs. Electric weapons will be tested. Only electric sabres can be used for visual fencing, electric foils and epees cannot. Visual foils and epees must have visual blades and French or Italian handles.
All age groups and genders will fence together in mixed pools for every event. In modern electric fencing touches are scored for the fencer who made them. In classic visual fencing touches are scored against the fencer who received them. In modern electric fencing five-touch bouts will last a maximum of three minutes. In classic visual fencing five-touch bouts will last a maximum of five minutes. At the end of an event, the winners for each age group and gender will be taken from the overall results.
Safety is a major element of the Masters Games. All entrants must consider their own and others safety and well being. Full fencing whites and plastrons must be worn. Clothes and masks must be in a good and safe state of repair. Level 1, 350 Newton clothing, masks and plastrons are recommended for all fencers. Electric fencers should wear a Level 2, 800 Newton plastron for extra protection.
Visual fencers may wear a half-jacket for both visual foil and sabre, but the bottom of the jacket must be at the hip line and must also overlap the breeches. The target for foil in classic fencing ends at the hip line as for sabre. The groin area has been removed. However, full torso jackets must be worn for visual epee. Classic visual bouts require four corner judges as well as a president. The other fencers in the pool usually act as the judges.

The rules for modern electric fencing are the present FIE rules. English translations from the French are found at www.britishfencing.com and at www.usfencing.org Look for 'Rules for Competition' and then 'Technical Rules'. The rules for classic visual fencing are the Salle Angelo ones which are a modification of the 1937 American rules. See www.freewebs.com/salleangelo for these rules, and for further information and updates for the Master Games competition.
A referee (modern electric) or a president (classic visual) has the right to exclude fencers from competing due to inadequate protective clothing, masks or weapons. A referee or a president also has the right to warn fencers for dangerous fencing, and if it continues, to disqualify them from competing. Finally, under both the FIE and Salle Angelo rules, fencers arm, equip and clothe themselves and fence at their own responsibility and at their own risk.