As reported by Fencing.net the FIE has issued a Urgent Letter:
Further to the urgent letter 15-09, the FIE has received the conclusions (attached) of the Sabic Innovative Plastic lab (NED), relative to the mask damaged in Odense. This lab points out two major facts:
- the analysed visor presents stresses linked to its making (injection moulding, instead of hot bend and cold setting recommended by the FIE); stress marks clearly appear at the plastic injection juncture points;
- due to the lack of protection coating against deterioration and scratches, the visor presented several significant scratches. And moreover, some manufacturing standards imposed by the FIE Equipment Rules have not been completely adhered to. Therefore, the Executive Committee has decided to suspend and forbid, until further notice, the use of the transparent visor mask both in foil and epee, at all FIE official competitions.
Accordingly, the USFA has also banned visor masks for Foil & Epee effectively immediately.
Still used in Saber, for whatever reason though.
I have always wondered about the lexan panels in the point weapons, especially epee where the mask is target. I can understand having them as a status symbol and having one because it's required for use in World Cups, but regularly training and competing with one seems like you're asking for trouble.
What's also interesting that it only took 5 years after the FIE's Medical Commission said fencers should not be required to wear them for the FIE to realize that there are inherent dangers in the usage of visor masks.
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