By accepting a position as referee or judge, the person so designated pledges their honour to respect the rules and to cause them to be respected, and to carry out their duties with the strictest impartiality and absolute concentration.

All bouts at fencing are directed by a Referee who must be in a position of an up-to-date national or international refereeing licence. The referee has many duties:

1. Calling the roll of fencers (cf t.86 Presence on time)

2. Directing the bout

3. Before each bout, checking the weapons, clothes and equipment of the fencers, according to the regulations described below.

4. Supervising the proper functioning of the electrical apparatus.

5. Supervising the judges, time-keepers, scorers, etc.

6. Being in position and moving in such a way as to be able to follow the bout while always being able to see the illumination of the signal lights.

7. Penalising faults (cf. t.96 The Referee).

8. Awarding hits (cf. t.40ss Method of Judging Hits).

9. Maintaining order (cf. t.96 The Referee).

10. When necessary, consulting with experts concerning the electrical apparatus (cf. o.7).