British Open Senior Championships 2026

BF Events & Championships > 2026 British Open Senior Championships

The 2026 British Open Senior Championships will be held on the 4th-5th July 2026 at EIS Sheffield, Coleridge Road, Sheffield, S9 5DA, as part of the British Open Championships weekend.

Enter via Sport:80

Also taking place this weekend:

• 2026 British Open Wheelchair Championships
• 2026 British Open U14 Championships

Schedule

Saturday 4th July

Senior Mixed/Men’s Sabre: check in on piste by 09:00
Senior Women’s Epee: check in on piste by 09:00
Senior Mixed/Men’s Foil: check in on piste by 09:00

Sunday 5th July

Senior Women’s Sabre: check in on piste by 09:00
Senior Mixed/Men’s Epee: check in on piste by 09:00
Senior Women’s Foil: check in on piste by 09:00

For British Open Senior Championships, fencers check in with their referee on their piste.

Fencers must report to the referee on their piste, ready to fence, 15 mins before the scheduled start time.

Poules will be drawn and displayed online at 6pm the day before the competition. Information will also be displayed at the venue.

Fencing can start a maximum of 10 mins before the official start time if all fencers for the competition are present at their piste.

Eligibility & Membership Level

The British Open Championships is for all Compete licensed members of British Fencing, including those not eligible to compete for GBR and international visitors.

Ranking Information

The British Open Senior Championships is nominated for Senior, Junior, and Cadet Ranking Points.

The Ranking Multipliers are:

• Senior – 700
• Junior – 300
• Cadets – 500

Further information on the BF Ranking Schemes can be found here.

Entry Process

Entries are now open for the British Open Senior Championships via the BF Events Platform.

Enter via Sport:80

Entries open: 20th May 2026

Early bird pricing ends: 25th May 2026

General pricing ends: 25th June 2026, 12:00pm (midday) (extended from 17th June)

Entry fee: £84 per event.

Late entry pricing ends: No late entry pricing.

Overall entry deadline: 25th June 2026, midday

Entry Fee Support Scheme

BF is mindful of the rising costs of attending fencing events and the potential barrier to participation this creates for some members of our community. As a result, BF is offering a limited number of free entries. These will be offered based on financial need, not on ability. This scheme will cover 100% of the entry fee cost.

Applications must be completed per athlete. For multiple athletes from one household, please complete separate application forms.

ENTRY FEE SUPPORT SCHEME

Equipment

Equipment: All fencers must wear the correct kit as per British Fencing rules. This will include FIE chest protectors (m.25 4(c) ) and 800N sabre gloves (please see important reminder here: Sabre Gloves)

Masks with two rear safety systems ARE required for British Senior Championships – see further information from the Safety Committee here: Rear Safety Systems

Referees

As with the 2025 Open Championships, clubs are required to provide referee(s) based on the number of fencers they enter:

• 1-4 fencers – no referee
• 5-9 fencers – 1 referee
• 10+ fencers – 2 referees

Note that is quota is based on per weapon per day. For example, a club entering four fencers into Mixed/Men’s Epee and four into Women’s Foil are not required to provide a referee. However, if a club is entering five fencers into Mixed/Men’s Epee and three into Women’s Foil, the club must provide one referee.

BF wants to work collaboratively with clubs where they must provide referees per their club entries.

The process will work as follows:

• Clubs are encouraged to contact BF stating their intent to provide a referee following the formula as early as possible but not after the competition’s closing date. As per the event entry lists, BF will also reach out to clubs when they meet five fencers per weapon.
• Names of nominated referees must be provided to BF before Friday 19th June 2026 or as soon as possible; before this date is preferred.
• Clubs are to cover their own referee’s expenses (travel and accommodation). BF can provide details of the ‘official workforce’ hotel BF uses if clubs would like to book their referee into the same hotel.
• Clubs providing referees will also be offered vouchers for safeguarding training and the opportunity to have a 1-1 session with BF staff exploring support opportunities for their club (e.g. grant application support, welfare training plans, risk assessment reviews, personalised GB League sign-up support).

BF is not looking to fine clubs but will fine £250 in the following circumstances:

• A club does not engage or respond to BF’s communications and fails to provide referees.
• A club agrees to provide support (Referee or other agreed support) following a conversation with BF and then fails to do so (excluding force majeure reasons).

BF will cover the day rates for all referees per the following pay scale:

Qualification Level	Maximum Day Rate
Domestic Referee: Level 3, Level 2 qualification	£40
International Referee: Active FIE, EFC C grade qualification	£60

To see if your club is required to provide a referee, click the button below:

Referee Provisions

If you have any questions, or need to provide referee information, please contact events@britishfencing.com.

Withdrawals and Refunds

WITHDRAWL FORM ENTER HERE

Fencers can withdraw up to 12noon the day before their competition using the online form, which will be added here.

Any fencer who has entered and does not present themselves to fence, except in a case of properly authenticated ‘force majeure’, will be penalised with a £250 fine. Their British Fencing membership is suspended until the payment of fine is received.

On the day withdrawals can be done via phone using Event team contact number which is available via Sport:80. Entered athletes will be emailed with further details closer to the event.

Events that are run by British Fencing are subject to the following refund policy:

Refunds requested up to 6 weeks before the original closing date will receive a full refund less the platform and card fees.

Refunds requested within the 6 week period before the original competition closing date will receive a 50% refund less the platform and card fees.

No refunds are permitted after the closing date.

Refunds should be requested by emailing events@britishfencing.com

Video Refereeing

We anticipate that video refereeing will be in place from the finals, which will take place on the two ‘finals’ pistes.

Media, Video & Photography

Please see this page for BF event media information.

Recording: The final of each weapon category will be recorded and uploaded to the BF YouTube channel as soon as possible after the final has ended.

Media:  Please note, there will be filming and photography at this event for BF purposes. If you do not give photography and filming permission for yourself or your athlete, please contact events@britishfencing.com before the event.

Volunteering: We couldn’t run our events without our valued volunteers, and the media team is always looking for people who have experience in or are interested in learning more about event media. Find out more here.

Photography Policy:  Photography and video using smartphones for personal use only (including coaching and social media) is permitted.

Please be mindful of the age of participants, and read our photography safeguarding policy: https://www.britishfencing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/8_photography_policy.pdf

‘Live streaming’ or broadcasting video in any way, from any device including smartphones, is not permitted.

Accreditation

Accreditation will be in place for access to the Field of Play (FoP) at the event. There will be no access to the Field of Play without an accreditation.

The deadline to apply for accreditation is Tuesday 23rd June 2026 at 5pm.

Coach Accreditation

There is a separate process for coaches based outside the UK who are supporting athletes representing GBR at domestic events. Please contact development@britishfencing.com for further information.

Before You Begin

To be eligible for accreditation, you must:

• Be listed on the BF Coaching Register
• Hold a valid anti‑doping certificate

What Coach Accreditation provides:

• Access to warm‑up and piste areas.
• The ability to provide warm‑up lessons.
• Access to the Field of Play (FoP) during Direct Elimination and Team Matches (where applicable).

Accreditation does not grant:

• Access to the Field of Play during poules.
• Access to the referees’ room, media areas, or the event organisers’ office (unless specifically invited).

Coaches must leave the Field of Play once bouts have concluded.

Your accreditation lanyard must be visible at all times. Event staff must be able to see it clearly.

In the event of a breach of BF’s Code of Conduct, accreditation may be revoked and any GBR Coach Licences may be suspended.

Apply for Coach Accreditation here

Media Accreditation

Anyone wanting to take photographs using any kind of professional or semi-pro camera equipment must apply for media accreditation in advance of the event – accreditation will not be available during competition. This means any kind of camera with a detachable lens, and/or using any kind of tripod or monopod.

Media accreditation is for still photography only – no pro or semi-pro video equipment is permitted.

NOTE: Any person taking photographs of any kind with any device must follow any instructions given by event staff.

Apply for Media Accreditation here

Medical Accreditation

This process does not provide access to the Field of Play unless you are required for medical support. You will be issued with a lanyard so referees can recognise that you are supporting an athlete, should you be invited inside the Field of Play during a medical event. Floor staff and medical teams will also be able to identify that you are supporting a fencer with a medical condition.

To apply, you must:

• Hold a BF Supporter Membership.
• Ensure the athlete’s medical information is registered on the Sport:80 membership platform.
• Be available to provide information to the onsite medical and safeguarding event team.
• Be over 18 years old.

The deadline to apply is Tuesday 23rd June 2026 at 5pm.

Apply for Medical Accreditation here

Click here to find out more about Accreditation at BF events.

General Information

Shop: Leon Paul will have a stand at the venue throughout the weekend.

Welfare: There will be a dedicated welfare officer at the event who will be clearly visible throughout. All welfare issues that arise at the event must be reported to the welfare officer present.

Sustainability: As part of BF’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our sport, no single-use plastic bottles will be permitted on the field of play. We hope that the community will support efforts in this area and ensure that everyone brings reuseable bottles to the event.

Prayer Room: There will be a prayer room available at the venue for all three days. Please ask at reception or speak to a member of the team and they will direct you.

Disabilities: BF recognises that many disabilities are hidden and participants in competitions may need additional support throughout the event. Any disability information that you provide in your membership profile (provided that you have given permission to share) will be passed to the organising team and a member of the event welfare team will get in touch to discuss how we can help.

Alternatively you can contact us in advance either by emailing the events team directly events@britishfencing.com, or the BF Lead Safeguarding Officer (safeguarding@britishfencing.com).

Finally, you can ask speak to a member of the onsite team at check-in. Please note the earlier you raise any additional support needs, the better able we are to make reasonable accommodations.