DETAILED SELECTION PROCEDURE FOR THE RIO OLYMPIC GAMES 2016 AND THE EUROPEAN ZONE QUALIFICATION EVENT 2016 1. INTRODUCTION The objective of this selection policy is to nominate fencers to the British Olympic Association (BOA) to represent Team GB at the Olympic Games 2016 to maximise the chances of success. Athletes are eligible for consideration provided they: are a British citizen with a valid British passport valid for at least six months after the Olympic Games in 2016; are a member of British Fencing (BF); satisfy any eligibility of the BOA and/or the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from time to time, including (but not limited to) in respect of anti- doping and nationality requirements; have satisfied all eligibility criteria under the FIE rules including national eligibility and minimum age as may be adopted by the FIE from time to time; and satisfy any other eligibility rules as may be imposed by British Fencing from time to time Selection for the Rio Olympic Games 2016 will be made by the BOA following the nomination by BF in accordance with this selection policy. Notwithstanding anything written in this document, British Fencing reserves the right to amend the document in the light of changed circumstances. All changes will be communicated to the fencers as soon as reasonably possible. 2. OLYMPIC GAMES SELECTION 2016 The Federation Internationale D Escrime (FIE) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) final qualification system for 2016 has been published and can be found on the British Fencing website: http://www.britishfencing.com/gbr/selections_and_rankings/ 2.1. Direct Qualification Individuals 2.1.1. Individual fencers can qualify directly through the world ranking at 4 th April 2016 as per the FIE / IOC final qualification document. Any GBR fencer who qualifies by right in accordance with the FIE/IOC document will be nominated by BF to the BOA for selection. 2.1.2. Should no individual fencer or Team in an eligible weapon (MF, ME, WE, WS) qualify by World Ranking, it is the policy of BF to enter a fencer in all eligible weapons for the European Zone Competition 2016. Selection for the European Zone Competition will be 1 st April 2015 1
carried out in accordance with the detailed selection criteria as outlined in this document under section Three. 2.2. Direct Qualification Team 2.2.1. In accordance with the FIE / IOC final qualification document, the following teams can qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games: Men s Epee Men s Foil Women s Epee Women s Sabre 2.2.2. A Team can qualify directly through the team world ranking at 4th April 2016 as per the FIE / IOC final qualification document. Any GBR Team weapon which qualifies by right in accordance with the FIE / IOC document will be nominated by BF to the BOA for selection. 2.2.3. For the purposes of Olympic selection, on 4th April 2016, BF will produce an Adjusted Ranking List for each weapon based on an athlete s points (not world ranking) from the official FIE World ranking points based on the following criteria: Any athlete who has 2015 European Championship points, will only be able to include these in their adjusted ranking, if they have qualified directly, based on the criteria outlined in the Senior Selection Policy 2014-2015 ie having achieved 45 points Any athlete given a discretionary selection for the 2015 European Championships will NOT be eligible to include these points in their adjusted ranking calculation Athletes who are given discretionary selection for the 2015 European Championships, but who qualify directly for the World Championships, either as a result of additional international points from Grand Prix and/or World Cup competitions or from the points gained at the European Championships, WILL be able to include points gained at the 2015 World Championships in their adjusted ranking Any athlete given discretionary selection for the 2015 World Championships will NOT be eligible to include these points in their adjusted ranking NO satellite points will be eligible to be included in the BF Adjusted Ranking List 2.2.4. If GBR qualify a team by right in one of the four nominated team events through the FIE team world rankings, then three fencers and a reserve will be selected in accordance with the selection criteria below: The top two fencers by rank order in the BF Adjusted Ranking List at the end of the Olympic Qualification period (4th April 2016) will be automatically nominated by BF to the BOA for selection to Team GB for both the Team and Individual event 1 st April 2015 2
If the third placed fencer in the BF Adjusted Ranking List has 40 points or more at 4 th April 2016 then they will be automatically nominated by BF to the BOA for selection to Team GB for both the Team and Individual event If the third ranked fencer in the BF Adjusted Ranking List does not have 40 points or more, then the Head Coach in the relevant weapon (Andrey Klyushin for Foil and Epee and Pierre Guichot for Sabre*) will select the remaining two athlete places for the team event, based on the following discretionary factors in priority order, for nomination by BF to the BOA, for selection to Team GB: Performance in the GBR Team during the Olympic qualification period 3rd April 2015 4th April 2016 at the World Championships, European Championships, World Cups and Grand Prix events only. (For men s foil performance in the team will only be measured against the following teams - China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, United States) Contribution to a positive team dynamic Any matters relating to injury or illness Once the two athletes for the team have been selected based on the criteria above, then the following criteria will be used, in priority order, by the Head Coach in the relevant weapon (Andrey Klyushin for Foil and Epee and Pierre Guichot for Sabre*) to determine which athlete will be the third named fencer for the individual and team event and the reserve fencer for the team event only: Individual performances and results in the period from 1 st October 2015 4 th April 2016 If both athletes have equal ranking points during the period 1st October 2015 4th April 2016 then the athlete with the best result (e.g L16 v L32) during this time will be selected If both athletes have an equal best result during the period 1st October 2015 4th April 2016 then the athlete with the best result (final finishing position) at the LAST FIE World Cup or Grand Prix competition immediately before the end of Olympic qualification, will be selected as the third fencer 3. EUROPEAN ZONE QUALIFICATION EVENT 3.1. There will be a European Zone qualifying competition in which European nations that have no FIE fencers qualified during the period 3rd April 2015 4th April 2016, in the weapon concerned, can participate with a maximum of one (1) fencer per nation per weapon. 3.2. It will be British Fencing policy to enter an athlete in the European Zone qualifying event in all eligible weapons. 3.3. The following criteria will be applied, in priority order, when selecting athletes for the European Zone qualifying competition. 1 st April 2015 3
3.3.1. FIE World Ranking: For selection under criteria 3.3.1 an athlete MUST be ranked in the top 50 of the FIE World Rankings at 4th April 2016. If more than one fencer is in the world top 50, then the highest ranked athlete based on points from 1st October 2015 4th April 2016 will be selected subject to fitness and being free from injury If no athlete meets the criteria in 3.3.1 or if the highest ranked fencers are on equal points then 3.3.2. will be applied: 3.3.2. Current Form: Current form will be based on results from 1st October 2015 4th April 2016 in FIE Grand Prix and World Cup competitions. The fencer with the highest ranking points will be eligible for selection subject to fitness and being free from injury If two are more athletes have the same number of world ranking points, then the athlete with the best result (e.g. L16 v L32) during the period 1st October 2015 4th April 2016 will be selected If two or more athletes have the same result (e.g. both have a L16) then the athlete with the best result (highest final finishing position) at the LAST FIE World Cup or Grand Prix competition immediately before the end of Olympic qualification, will be selected 3.4. Any GBR fencer who qualifies through the European Zone Competition in accordance with the FIE/IOC final qualification document will be nominated by BF to the BOA for selection. 4. DELEGATION REGISTRATION MEETING 4.1. The date of the Delegation Registration Meeting (DRM) is 18 July 2016. At this date the BOA puts the entry of the full British Olympic Team in to the Rio Organising Committee for the Olympic Games 2016. 4.2. The PD or Head Coach in the relevant weapon (Andrey Kluyshin for Foil and Epee and Pierre Guichot for Sabre*) may request a medical examination at any time before the DRM. Prior to the DRM, BF reserves the unconditional right to not nominate or to de- select any athlete who does not fulfill the necessary medical standards following an assessment by the appointed NGB doctor, or who otherwise fail to adhere to this selection policy. 4.3. In respect of any decision to de- select on grounds of a failure to fulfil the necessary medical standards, such decision will be made by the Head Coach (in the relevant weapon) based on the reports of the medical examination from the nominated doctor. 1 st April 2015 4
4.4. After the DRM has been completed, de- selection and selection of a replacement athlete is only allowed in accordance with the IOC s Late Athlete Replacement Policy (or any revised or amended IOC policy dealing with athlete replacement) and is the responsibility of the BOA. 4.5. In the event of there being a query over the ability of an athlete to be able to compete to the best of his/her ability after the DRM due to an injury or illness the following procedure will be adhered to: 4.5.1. Team GB s Chief Medical Officer can require an athlete to undergo a medical examination to determine his/her fitness to participate. This examination will be carried out by Team GB s Chief Medical Officer or another doctor delegated by him/her. If the athlete fails the medical examination he/she will be withdrawn from the Team and the Governing Body may (if appropriate) nominate a replacement athlete in accordance with its selection policy. 4.5.2. If the athlete passes the medical examination carried out in accordance with 4.5.1 above but BF and/or the BOA still have concerns over whether or not the athlete is able to compete to a level which would ordinarily have been expected of the athlete due to the underlying injury or illness, the Chef de Mission (in consultation with the Governing Body) can require the athlete to undergo a set of pre- determined sports specific performance tests. 4.5.3. The tests will be conducted under the guidance of the sport s Team Leader (or his/her delegate e.g. team physiotherapist) and a BOA representative or delegate will be present (if possible/available). If the athlete fails the test (which can be undertaken on more than one occasion and within a short time frame if appropriate), he/she will be withdrawn from the Team on medical grounds and, if appropriate, a replacement can be nominated by BF in accordance with the selection policy. 5. APPEALS 5.1. An athlete may appeal their non- nomination / selection by BF, only in cases where the procedure outlined in this policy document ( Detailed Selection Procedure for the Olympic Games 2016 and the European Zone Competition ) is not adhered to. 5.2. Appeals against the decision must be made within 48 hours of the notification from the Performance Director confirming the nomination / selection decision(s). 1 st April 2015 5
5.3. An athlete must lodge their appeal, with BF Head Office headoffice@britishfencing.com alongside a deposit of 500.00, which will be reimbursed should the athlete win their appeal. The full appeals policy for the Olympic Games 2016 and the European Zone competition can be found on the British Fencing Website: http://www.britishfencing.com/gbr/selections_and_rankings/ * In the unlikely situation that there is a change in the Head Coach during the qualification and / or selection period, then any coaches who have any involvement with athletes on a club and/or personal level or any affiliation to athlete s friends/family/commercial responsibilities will NOT be part of the selection process. Alex Newton, Performance Director 1 st April 2015 1 st April 2015 6