How to become a fencing referee

Becoming a fencing referee follows a progressive pathway that begins at the national level and can lead all the way to international certification. The process is governed by National federations, the European Fencing Confederation (EFC) and the Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (FIE).

• Obtain a national refereeing licence

Every candidate must first complete national training and receive a valid national licence issued by their federation. The requirements and exams are different in all national federations, sometime the minimum age required is also different.

• Begin refereeing EFC Cadet Circuits

With a national licence and the required age (18y), referees may start officiating at EFC Cadet Circuit events, where formal evaluations on scale 1-5 are collected by EFC Referee Delegate. Evaluation has five levels where 1 or 2 means you are not ready and need improvements on national competitions. Evaluation 4 or 5 is for referees who are ready for international competitions.

• Receive sufficient positive evaluations

Candidates must accumulate strong evaluations from EFC evaluators, demonstrating consistent decision-making and proper match management. Once enough positive evaluations are obtained, the referee may be awarded the EFC C Licence and national federation is informed by e-mail. Criteria for continental licence are 4 times evaluation „4“ or higher. If candidate receive evaluation „5“ twice, he proves his level of refereeing and get EFC C Licence also. If referee hold any of international license (EFC/FIE) he need only 2 times evaluation „4“ or „5“ to receive second licence on continental level (EFC C license).

How to apply for the FIE Refereeing Exam

Referees may be nominated by their federation for the FIE exam, which requires a minimum age of 20 and adherence to FIE regulations. FIE Exam is once a year in all weapons announced to National federations. FIE Exam has theoretical part, video part and also practical part. Only candidates with high level of knowledge and skills are accepted.