The numerous scandals have demonstrated it: all sports are not equal when it comes to the risks of harassment and abuse. Some take things head on. The others think they are more spared.

Fencing? On paper, the discipline does not seem the most exposed. Its culture, its uses and the maturity of its champions remove it from the list of risky sports. But its international body, the FIE, has adopted since the last Olympics the adage according to which prevention is better than cure.

In March 2019, it announced the establishment of a fencer protection policy, intended to promote an environment where fencing can be practiced safely. It was unanimously approved at the annual congress organized the previous year in Paris. Anything but coincidence: the initiative accompanied the FIE's ambitious program for the development of women's fencing.

At the helm, two officials from countries where the protection of athletes was already in place at the national level: the British Georgina Usher, president of the women's commission of the FIE Women and Fencing Council, and the American Samuel Cheris, president of the legal commission. At their side, to define a relevant code of conduct, a team of experts; particularly medical and legal.

Executive Director of the British Fencing Federation, Georgina Usher explained this to FrancsJeux : " The FIE initiative was not decided to react to a particular matter or situation. We wanted to prevent risks. Fencing is not the most exposed sport. But he is not immune either, particularly from the dangers of moral harassment. The balance is often difficult to find, in sport as in the professional world, between respect and power."

From 2019, the FIE protection policy was presented and detailed at the Cadet and Junior World Championships in Torun, Poland. A stand has been set up at the competition site.

Since then, the train has picked up speed. An education program was deployed for coaches and officials, at the highest level of practice, then at lower levels. An online form has been created to report an incident during an FIE competition. It can be completed and sent anonymously.

A first webinar dedicated to the protection policy was organized in June 2022. It brought together more than 70 people. A second followed at the end of last year. The series will continue this year.

Georgina Usher insists: “ The most frequent abuses affect fencing at a modest level, in clubs. This is why we must extend our protection policy to the national level. The FIE cannot do everything alone. The relay must be taken, in all countries, by the national federations. This is our priority today. To achieve this, we are strengthening our education program to reach a greater number of coaches and officials at clubs. »

Announced objective: the adoption by as many member countries as possible of an athlete protection policy. Great Britain had preceded the movement in 2014. The United States, where the subject took on a very media dimension, followed. Today, more and more countries are placing the issue high among their priorities.

The result ? “ The culture has changed, assures Georgina Usher. The word is becoming freer, more and more people are testifying. We learn a lot from the athletes about what to do and what procedures to put in place. At the same time, officials and coaches are today increasingly better informed, both on the issues of a protection policy, but also on the importance of fighting the scourge. People understood that providing our athletes with a safe environment was everyone’s job. We can now act sooner. »