Some epee fencers in the Division I event at the Kansas City NAC had to go through an additional step in the equipment control process this morning. Due to complaints lodged against US fencers internationally, all French grip epees were checked for handle length and the amount of tape on the pommels.
During the morning several epees were found that were as much as 1″ longer than allowed under the rules – quite an extra advantage in epee. There were also several epees that had to have tape removed from the pommels in order to pass.
The guidance regarding tape on the epee pommels is two wraps of tape – enough to provide some traction but not enough to provide a “ball” to grip.
The enforcement came as a surprise to the epee fencers as the extra equipment control step was not pre-announced. Some fencers complained that they should have been notified of the enforcement to give them time to make sure their epees were in compliance with the current guidelines.
How to keep your epees legal
The maximum length of the grip is 20cm and the max length for the epee overall is 110cm. At weapons control the measurement was taken from the top of the bellguard to the end of the pommel.
Max tape: 2 wraps. If the grip is extra thick and the pommel is thin, you’re allowed to put tape in the joint to smooth out the transition from grip to pommel, but you are not allowed to add extra tape to make any kind of ball or protrusion.