Format

Individual fencing competitions are competed in a number of rounds.

The Qualifying Round is a round robin with the field divided into pools. Each competitor in the pool fences each other in a "bout". These are of five hits which last up to three minutes. If scores are level at the end of the time, a sudden death decider is conducted.

Direct Elimination is the second round. Fencers are ranked from the Qualifying Round in a tableau. The top ranked meets the bottom ranked in a head to head table to fight for the full 10 hits. The winner progresses to the next round. The loser progresses to the sidelines.

The Finals are for the last four remaining fencers. These semi finalists compete to determine who fights for the Gold Medal and the coveted World Champion title, with the runner-up awarded the silver. Both defeated semi-finalists receive the bronze medal.

Penalties

Fencers breaching rules are "carded".

A Yellow Card is received for the first occurrence of a minor offence.

If, in the same bout, the fencer commits another minor offence - either the same offence, or a different one - they receive a Red Card. A Red Card automatically awards a penalty hit to the opponent. For more serious offences, Red Cards may be awarded without a preliminary Yellow Card.

Yellow and Red cards are cancelled at the end of the bout, so the fencer enters their next bout with a "clean slate".

Very serious offences result in a Black Card, which means expulsion from the event or the entire tournament.