The FIE (Fédération Internationale d'Escrime), the international governing body for the Olympic sport of fencing, announced—in an open letter dated January 21, 2008—that obligatory use of transparent plastic face masks for foil "have been temporarily suspended." Duh.
Ever since the FIE started to make broad, sweeping decisions about competitive fencing rules and regulations, in an attempt to make the sport more television-viewer friendly, they have been goofing up left and right.
The 2005 timing changes were one thing, but plastic face masks? Come on. Out on the piste, most fencers saw the plastic face masks as a potential liability. Now, news that "a Venezuelan fencer, wearing a mask with a transparent visor, was injured during an épée training session in Venezuela" has broken (as reported by FIE President René Roch). It was only a matter of time.
The plastic masks are concerning for a variety of reasons. First, they can't be field tested on site like mesh face masks. There is no punch test for plastic. Second, if (and when) they fail, they will do so catastrophically. No one wants to imagine what a catastrophic failure of a plastic face guard will look like when it comes in contact with a metal tipped fencing blade. Third, the masks themselves suffer from scratches and scuffs, reducing visibility and clouding vision. Fourth, they really look goofy.
When will the FIE wake up and realize that fencing probably will never be a great spectator sport? Changing the face masks from mesh to transparent plastic certainly isn't the answer.
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