SENIOR RANKING SCHEME AND SELECTION PROCEDURE FOR 2003-2004

 

FINAL DRAFT (as approved by the IC on 15.09.03)

 

DEFINITIONS

 

"European zone" has the same meaning as ascribed to it by the FIE


"home" means England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland


"overseas" means all other parts of the world.

 

"season" means the period starting on the 1st day of September of each year.

 

 

RANKING SCHEME

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

1.        With effect from 1 September 1999 there has been a rolling ranking scheme for all fencers eligible to take part in Senior Competitions at home or overseas.

 

  1. Responsibility for the calculation and administration of the Ranking Scheme shall ultimately lay with the International Committee whose decision on any ranking matter shall be final.

 

  1. Rankings will be calculated by aggregating all the points awarded to each fencer in accordance with the rules laid down in this document.

 

  1. The relevant results will be the fencer’s best SIX results of which no more than 3 results may be from overseas competitions.


5.     Fencers may compete for points in up 6 overseas competitions, (home ‘A’ grades counting as overseas). For Epee and Sabre, the competitions to count will be the first 6   entered into by a fencer, unless a fencer notifies the team captain and chair of the IC in writing before the competition that they do not want the competition to count            towards their score. Only the best 3 scores may count as detailed in para 4.  For foil, the six competitions to count will continue to be nominated in advance by the Foil       Committee.  For the purposes of the Olympic Zonal Qualifier (see below) points can be scored in any senior World Cup, senior World Championships or Senior European           Championships during the qualifying period (ie 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004)

 

  1. In addition to the above and with the consent of the appropriate Weapon Committee obtained prior to the overseas competition, any fencer who trains/works/lives overseas may rely on results obtained from no more than two  overseas competitions in place of two home competitions, subject to the proviso of para. 7 below.

 

7.        Where, in the circumstances described in the previous paragraph, a fencer is permitted to rely on points obtained from overseas competitions, the points obtained from such overseas competitions will not exceed the points which the fencer could have obtained in the strongest home competition (highest graded), without using any elite multiplier, in the appropriate weapon (MF, WF, ME, WE, MS, WS) in the preceding period of twelve months immediately before the overseas competition in question.

2003-2004 POINTS SYSTEM

 

  1. For home competitions points will be awarded to fencers who reach the last 64 of an open competition provided that they are placed in the top 75% of those competing.

 

  1. For overseas and home world cup (A Grade)competitions points will be awarded to fencers who reach the last 64 of a competition, provided that the fencer is both placed in the top 75% of those competing and has won a direct elimination fight or earned a bye through the direct elimination round. The same scoring rules will apply for competitions relied on under paras. 6/7 (foreign residence etc.)

 

  1. The points total scored in each competition is calculated by taking the grading multiplier (as defined in paras 22 and 24 below and multiplying them by the factor assigned to the fencer’s final placing (see table below at para. 26).

 

  1. Calculation of the ranking points for Seniors will be done on a monthly basis on the first day of each month using the actual results of relevant competitions during the preceding period of twelve month ending on the last day of the previous month.   No account shall be taken of the fact that a competition date may have been brought forward in a subsequent season so that the two succeeding results of the same competition may be included in the same period of 12 months.

 

  1. The date of any relevant competition will be taken to be the date of the final so that the results of a competition whose final is on the last day of a month will be used to calculate the ranking points on the next day (being the start of a new month). By contrast, the results of a competition whose final is on the first day of a month will not be used to calculate ranking points until the beginning of the following month.

 

  1. Points calculated in accordance with para 12 will be used for seeding purposes at home competitions and will be published on the internet.

 

  1. Points from women only competitions will be used for calculating women’s’ sabre rankings (assuming that such competitions meet all the other criteria set out above).

 

        OLYMPIC ZONAL QUALIFIER

 

  1. In the 2003/2004 season, there will a European Olympic Zonal qualifying competition at each weapon to be held at some date after the conclusion of the FIE Olympic qualifying period (31 March 2004).   Each European nation will be allowed to enter one fencer per weapon, provided that no other fencer in that weapon from that nation has already qualified through the world rankings.

 

  1. The British Olympic Association has determined that the basic qualifying standard for admittance onto the British Olympic Team for the 2004 Olympic Games will be the achievement of a L16 in a senior World Cup, senior World Championships or senior European Championships during the period from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004.  It will therefore be a pre-requisite that any entrant to the European Olympic Zonal qualifying competition MUST have achieved this standard.

 

  1. From amongst those fencers in any particular weapon to have achieved the qualifying standard, there will be a special points scheme.   This will be based on the best 4 results only from any senior World Cup, senior World Championships and senior European Championships during the period from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004. 

 

  1. Points will be calculated on the basis of this document, except for the fact that a multiplier of 1.3 shall be added to any results obtained from the (and including the) 2003 World Championships in October 2003 until 31 March 2004.

 

        NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS

 

  1. It shall be the responsibility of competition organisers to provide the BFA with a complete set of that competition’s results including the full entry list as soon as practically possible. Notification must be by electronic means (email or disc). Failure to notify the BFA may lead to the results of a competition not being eligible for ranking points for the following season.

 

  1. Any fencer who wishes to rely on the results of an overseas competition must send, as soon as practically possible, to the points compiler and the chairman of the selectors, a complete set of that competition’s results including the full entry list and the breakdown of eliminating rounds. To be included in the monthly updating the points compiler must receive the results by the first post on the Wednesday after the last relevant scoring competition of the month.

 

       

        CALCULATION OF GRADING MULTIPLIER FOR RELEVANT COMPETITIONS

 

  1. For HOME competitions the grading multiplier, for the first part of the season, will be calculated on the basis of the number of fencers who are taking part who are in the current top 50 of the British Ranking on 1st September each year and the multiplier to be used will be found by adding to an initial multiplier of 1 the following numbers:

 

    1. Each of those placed 1 to 10                              = 6 added to multiplier

 

    1. Each of those placed 11 to 20                            = 3 added to multiplier

 

    1. Each of those placed 21 to 50                            = 1 added to multiplier

 

In addition, at the entire discretion of the relevant Weapon Committee, the grading multiplier may be increased to account for a significant participation of overseas fencers. A suggested criterion would be Foreigners without a British ranking contribute to the NIF value of domestic competitions as follows:

 

·         Fencers in the top 100 of the previous season’s World Ranking        = 9

·         Other fencers in the previous season’s World Ranking                       = 6

·         Fencers who finish above two 6-NIF fencers in the event                    = 6

·         Fencers who finish above two 3-NIF fencers                                          = 3

·         Fencers who finish above three 1-NIF fencers                                       = 1

·         Others                                                                                                            = 0

 

  1. The ranking of fencers used for calculating the grading multiplier for home competitions will be updated on the 1st March and 1st September in each year using the ranking positions on that date.

 

  1. Non UK nationals resident in the UK will count as home fencers for the purposes of the ranking system, except that their positions on the rankings will be ignored when the ranking positions are used for selection purposes.

 

  1. For OVERSEAS and HOME A-GRADE competitions the grading multiplier will be calculated on the basis of the number of fencers who are taking part who were in the top 100 of the World Cup rankings.   For events prior to (and including) the 2003 World Championships, this will be based on the world rankings immediately after the 2002 World Championships in Lisbon and for events after the 2003 Havana World Championships, this will be based on the world rankings immediately after the Havana World Championships.   The minimum multiplier for an overseas event is 5.

 

·         Each of those placed 1 to 20                      = 60 will be added to the multiplier.

·         Each of those placed 21 to 40                    = 30 will be added to the multiplier.

·         Each of those placed 41 to 100                  = 10 will be added to the multiplier.

 

 

 

 

  1. The constant performance factors for the first 64 places are as follows:

 

Place

Multiplier

Place

Multiplier

1

20.00

33

2.00

2

18.00

34

1.98

3

16.00

35

1.96

5

13.00

36

1.94

6

12.96

37

1.92

7

12.92

38

1.90

8

12.88

39

1.88

9

8.88

40

1.86

10

8.84

41

1.84

11

8.80

42

1.82

12

8.76

43

1.80

13

8.72

44

1.78

14

8.68

45

1.76

15

8.64

46

1.74

16

8.60

47

1.72

17

5.60

48

1.70

18

5.56

49

1.68

19

5.52

50

1.66

20

5.48

51

1.64

21

5.44

52

1.62

22

5.40

53

1.60

23

5.36

54

1.58

24

5.32

55

1.56

25

5.28

56

1.54

26

5.24

57

1.52

27

5.20

58

1.50

28

5.16

59

1.48

29

5.12

60

1.46

30

5.08

61

1.44

31

5.04

62

1.42

32

5.00

63

1.40

 

 

64

1.38

 

BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

  1. The British Championships will have a multiplier of 1.2.

 



SELECTION AND PARTICIPATION IN COMPETITIONS


OVERSEAS A-GRADE COMPETITIONS

 

  1. Entry to overseas A-grade competitions will be governed by the conditions of the particular competition and/or FIE regulations and any fencer must meet any such conditions/regulation to be considered for selection.

 

  1. Selection for overseas A-grade competitions is a matter for the selectors for each weapon and selection will normally be restricted to any fencer in the top 20 of the home rankings but the Selectors may in their absolute discretion and for good reason select a fencer for any competition who is not ranked in the top 20. The Selectors will use competition results based on the previous 12 month period on the date of selection to obtain this ranking. They reserve the right to ignore results if they are unable to obtain full details, either from the competition organisers for home competitions, or from the fencers concerned for overseas competitions.

 

  1. If at least five of the top-eight ranked fencers, at the date of selection, wish to enter a nominated A grade then the selectors/weapon committee should arrange for a referee to be sent and ideally a full team of 8 (or more, in accordance with our FIE quota at each weapon) should be sent.

 

  1. The top four ranked fencers will be automatically entitled to be selected.  Any fencer ranked 5 or below will be subject to selection at the selectors’ discretion, who in their absolute discretion may take other factors other than ranking positions into account, provided that no manifest unfairness is caused to any other fencer.  

 

  1. Fencers competing in any associated World Cup Team event shall be automatically selected for the individual event.   In any event of conflict between this requirement and those described in paras. 30/31, then this requirement will have precedence.

 

  1. In making any selection decision the selectors shall not be obliged to have regard to the fact that selection (or non-selection) may affect a fencer’s ranking in any other ranking scheme (Cadet, Junior, World etc.).

 

HOME A-GRADE COMPETITIONS

 

  1. Entry to home A-grade competitions will be governed by the same conditions as entry to overseas A-grade competitions save that restriction will not be limited to the top 20 ranked fencers.

B-GRADE COMPETITIONS

 

  1. These are overseas competitions with a good standard but without the FIE A-grade status. Entry to such competition will be unrestricted and individual fencers will be responsible for their own entries.

 

WORLD AND EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

  1. Selection to fence in the individual event will be made according to the order of the national rankings from amongst those fencers who have reached the qualifying standard, subject to the provisions of paras 38 and 41-43).

 

  1. The qualifying standard for WC selection means at least one L16 and one L32, or one L 8 (or better) result/s in A-grade competitions in the period of 12 months prior to the selection date.  (but see para 41)

 

  1. Selection for the European Championships will be on the same basis as for World Championships except that the qualifying standard will be one last 32 or two last 64 results in A-grade competitions.

 

  1. Notwithstanding the qualifying standard for individual events, any weapon which stands in the top ten of the world cup team rankings at the relevant selection date, or finished in the top eight placings in the Senior World Championships of the previous year  may send a full team of four fencers to the World and European championships, as appropriate.

 

  1. For a qualifying result to be valid the fencer must have got through at least one round of direct elimination (or earned a bye) and was placed in the top 75% of those competing.

 

  1. If a L16  is obtained with a NIF count greater than  1000, then this will be a sufficient result to qualify. Otherwise if a competition has a complete tableau, and a NIF count of greater than 600, then a L16 and a L32 are required to qualify for the World Championships. Otherwise if a event has an incomplete L32 tableau and/or a NIF count of less than 300, then only a result at L8 or better will count as equivalent to a L32 for the purposes of being considered as a qualifying result. If an event has an incomplete L64 tableau and/or a NIF count of less than 600 then only a L16 result will count as equivalent to a L32 for the purposes of being considered as a qualifying result.  The International Committee has absolute discretion to vary these requirements in relation to the actual results at a competitions with an overall intention of (a) ensuring fairness and (b) protecting against weak results counting as a qualifying standard.

 

  1. Fencers selected for the individual competition shall not automatically be selected to fence in the team event at the Senior World or European Championships.  The fencers for the team event will be selected by the Performance Director/International Manager, the President of the BFA and the Chair of the International committee, acting on the advice of the relevant weapon committee. The committee and the selection group may, in their absolute discretion, take any factors and results that they feel to be relevant into account in making the selection. Fencers so selected, may fence in the individual event, even if not qualified, provided that in doing so, they do not deprive a qualified fencer in competing in the individual.

 

  1. Subject to the approval of the International Committee the selectors may in their absolute discretion select a fencer to participate in the World or European Championships even if that fencer does not otherwise meet the qualifying standard. They may not however select an unqualified fencer above a fencer who has reached the qualifying standard.

 

  1. The International Committee may recommend for selection to the World or European Championships any fencer who has not met the qualifying standard, provided that any such fencer does not deprive a qualified fencer from being selected.

 

  1. For the purpose of selection to the World and European Championships, the International Committee may in its absolute discretion modify the rules for points and the qualifying standard retrospectively where special circumstances affect the result of any particular competition (e.g. significantly reduced participation, walk-over result, or minimal entry).

 

  1. Both the World and European championships will count for points on the same basis as 'A' grades and results at both the World and European Championships may count as Qualifying results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For and on behalf of the International Committee