Shin A Lam stranded on strip after a last second loss highlighted issues with current rules and equipment around time keeping. (Photo: S.Timacheff)

Shin A Lam stranded on strip after a last second loss highlighted issues with current rules and equipment around time keeping. (Photo: S.Timacheff)

The 2012 Games was not Fencing’s finest moment. Just ask Shin A Lam (KOR).

The incident highlighted a gap in the rules and equipment related to timing of the match.

The FIE will vote in this year’s Congress on the following rules change:

Motivation: After the incident in London, there is a proposal to change the rules so that also milliseconds are

shown on the chronometer and that the referee controls the time-keeping in the last minute. There is an initial

proposal from Swiss Timing to have the command ”Allez” being given by the machine.

Proposals of the Commission:

Chronometers showing 100th of seconds should be introduced,

The referee should be able to manually set the time to the previous time with precision of 100th of a

second,

second, The referee should operate the time-keeping during the last minute,

The remote control for the referee should be simplified to make it easier to handle and should operate

with radio and not IR-signal,

with radio and not IR-signal, Any oral commands should be given by the referee and not by the machine

Introduction of this system should be made step by step, beginning with the World Championships

and the Olympic Games.

Opinion of the Refereeing, Promotion Commissions and Coaches Council: In favour. These proposals

should be submitted to the SEMI Commission for approval and preparation of the corresponding texts

into the Rules.

Opinion of the Refereeing Commission: in favor