Secretariat Development

In fencing, the secretariat (sometimes called the bout committee, directoire technique, or tournament secretariat) is the administrative and technical body responsible for the smooth running of competitions.

Their role is mostly organizational and clerical, rather than refereeing. Specifically, the secretariat is responsible for:

• Registration and eligibility: confirming fencers’ licenses/memberships, ensuring they are entered correctly in the event.
• Seeding and drawing: establishing pools and tableaux (direct elimination brackets) based on rankings or seeding rules.
• Scheduling and assignments: setting bout times, assigning referees, pistes, and apparatus.
• Recording results: collecting pool sheets, DE bout slips, and updating the tableau.
• Communications: announcing calls for bouts, posting results, and handling official notices.
• Logistics and coordination: ensuring equipment control, medical, and referees’ commission work smoothly with the competition.
• Rule enforcement (administrative): handling withdrawals, penalties for no-shows, or disputes that are procedural rather than refereeing decisions.

In short, the secretariat makes sure the competition structure, paperwork, and flow are correct, so referees and fencers can focus on the bouts themselves.