Concussion: each body writes its own, and the FIE has none that was found.

There is no single concussion rule in fencing. No FIE concussion policy was found, so the rules that exist come from national federations, and they differ in kind: British Fencing and Fencing Canada publish removal and clearance rules, while USA Fencing's published step is an education programme. This page gives each with its date. None of it replaces a doctor.

Get coaching

This page explains what governing bodies, standards bodies and researchers publish. It is not a substitute for lessons from a qualified coach, for a qualified armourer's checks or for medical advice.

A head injury needs a doctor

A blow to the head and any suspected concussion need assessment and care from a qualified medical professional; the British Fencing and Fencing Canada rules below both require medical assessment or clearance before a return. This page reports each body's published rules. It is not an assessment guide, a symptom list or a recovery plan, and it gives no return-to-sport stages.

The rules side by side

Body and document	Who it covers	What it says about removal and return
FIE (international federation)	Official FIE competitions	No concussion policy was found. Head injuries fall under the general medical-break rule (Technical Rules, t.45)
British Fencing: Concussion Guidance v1.1 (23 May 2024)	Community fencing in the UK: fencers, referees, coaches, first aiders, healthcare professionals, team managers, parents, Directoire Technique members and organisers	"If in doubt, sit them out"; immediate removal on suspicion; no return until medically assessed; no return to competition before day 21 at the earliest
Fencing Canada (Canadian Fencing Federation): Concussion Protocol (undated)	Activities of the Canadian Fencing Federation	No return to the game or practice on suspicion; referral for medical assessment; medical clearance before return to play
USA Fencing: TeachAids partnership (15 February 2022)	Athletes, parents, coaches and officials	Concussion education only; no removal or clearance rule stated, and no standalone policy found

FIE: no concussion policy found

A text search of the FIE Technical Rules (December 2024 edition) and Organisation Rules (December 2025 edition) found no use of the word concussion. At FIE competitions a head injury is handled like any other injury under t.45: the medical break, which the FIE Medical Commission delegate or the doctor on duty attests, and the medical official's decision on whether the fencer can continue. That rule is set out on medical rules at competitions. Not finding a policy in the research does not prove the FIE has none; at any event, the organiser's and governing body's current rules apply.

British Fencing (UK)

The document. British Fencing's Concussion Guidance, version 1.1 dated 23 May 2024, is written for community use by everyone from fencers and referees to first aiders, healthcare professionals, parents and competition organisers.
Removal. Its headline rule is "If in doubt, sit them out". A fencer with suspected concussion must be removed from training or competition straight away and must not return until medically assessed.
Competing again. The BF Medical Committee announced on 23 May 2024 that the guidance had been updated, after queries, to cover competing after concussion: a fencer should not return to competition until day 21 at the earliest, counting the day of injury as day 0, in line with the UK Concussion Guidelines for Non-Elite (Grassroots) Sport of April 2023. Organisers should not let a previously concussed fencer compete within that period and should withdraw the entry if they know the circumstances.
Reporting. British Fencing asks for suspected and actual concussions to be reported to it through its online form.
The dates disagree. British Fencing's safety policies page lists "Concussion Guidelines 05.01.2024", while the linked file's name indicates version 1.0 dated 15 January 2024, and the concussion page links version 1.1 of 23 May 2024. The May 2024 version is the latest found.

Fencing Canada (Canadian Fencing Federation)

The document. The Canadian Fencing Federation Concussion Protocol is adapted from Parachute's 2017 Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport. It covers recognising, medically diagnosing and managing athletes with a suspected concussion in the federation's activities, and is written for athletes, parents, coaches, officials, teachers, trainers and licensed healthcare professionals. No version date was found on the document.
Education. It calls for concussion education for all sport stakeholders every year before the season.
Removal and return. An athlete with a suspected concussion must not return to the game or practice and must be referred for medical assessment, and medical clearance is required before a return to play.

USA Fencing

On 15 February 2022 USA Fencing announced a partnership with TeachAids to offer its CrashCourse concussion education curriculum, with formal certification, free across its programmes to athletes, parents, coaches and officials. USA Fencing joined 22 other national governing bodies in the US Olympic and Paralympic movement already using it. The announcement does not state a removal or medical-clearance rule and does not say the education is mandatory, and no standalone USA Fencing concussion policy document was found in the research.

Concussion in the injury data

In US emergency-department data for 2013 to 2023 (NEISS; Stanicki and colleagues, 2025), concussion was 4.7% of fencing cases, 7.1% among female and 2.7% among male patients, a difference the authors found not statistically significant, and the head was the injured part in 7.8%. These are hospital visits, not a rate per fencer.
The French elite study (INSEP, 2016 to 2023; Gondouin and colleagues, 2025) counted concussion within its injury definition alongside musculoskeletal complaints.

What was not found

No FIE concussion policy was found, no concussion rule for wheelchair fencing was found in the research, and none of the studies in the research gives a concussion rate per fencer. Each national federation not listed here may have its own rules; at any competition, the organiser's and governing body's current rules apply.

Sources

Keep reading

Medical rules at competitions

The FIE's five-minute medical break and who decides (t.45), the doctor World Cups require on the premises, the Medical Commission's delegates, kit rules for anyone warming up or taking a lesson on site, and the Medical Commission's 2017 safety work.

Injury research

The IOC chapter's review, Harmer's US national (2008) and FIE international (2019, unconfirmed) studies, the French elite study (2025), the 2025 meta-analysis, NEISS emergency visits and wheelchair fencing, each with its own population and measure.

Youth rules

The FIE's minimum licence age of 13 (o.29.1), cadet and junior cut-offs and the rule for minors at events; British Fencing's 2026 blade sizes and 350 N kit by age; USA Fencing's youth categories, blade limits and domestic kit; youth figures from two studies.