At the US Fencing Board meeting on May 26, 2021, it was decided to implement a "no show" fee of $250 at national events, starting at Summer Nationals 2021.

The "no show" fee will be imposed when a competitor fails to notify US Fencing via email by 5pm locally the day before the tournament that they will not be attending the event they are registered for. Exceptions are granted for medical emergencies or force majeure duly justified.

Examples of force majeure events include flight cancellations, bad weather, family emergencies etc.

Until the "no show" fee is paid, a fencer will not be able to register for and compete in national events.

With the switch to setting pools the night before in line with FIE practice, it becomes important that fencers who do not intend to compete, inform US Fencing in a timely way of their intention. Imposing a “no show” fee is also in line with FIE practice. where we understand the “no show” fee is 500 euros.

We agree with US Fencing's rationale that ""Day of" no shows are unfair to the overall field as they create unbalanced strength in various pools and deny entry to willing standby competitors."