In exceptional cases, subject to approval by the national office, a member of USA Fencing in good standing may be granted qualification to the Junior Olympic Fencing Championships by petition. No petition may contravene the results of a qualifying competition – a fencer who has fenced in the qualifying competition without withdrawing due to a disabling injury or illness cannot then petition to disregard or override those results. Petitions will be denied for fencers who chose to fence in a regional qualifier (RYC, SYC, RJCC, and ROC) over their division qualifier.

The following criteria and procedures are applicable to filling a petition:

A petition may be filed by a fencer who qualified (by means of competition or petition) to that same competition in the prior season or whose recent competitive record indicates a strong possibility that the athlete would have qualified had they been able to compete in the qualifying competition but:
• Was unable to compete in the various qualifying competitions this season due to injury, illness, military deployment, study abroad, compulsory school requirements, pregnancy OR
• Did compete and had to withdraw because of a disabling injury or illness OR
• The number of qualifying athletes at a division qualifying tournament changed due to the inclusion of ineligible fencer(s) in the tournament
(Note: Athletes who attend a school or university in the United States, outside of their division, shall not constitute inability to compete)

Fencers may also receive consideration if they are close to the 120 regional point threshold or were within reach of earning national points at the December SJCC, January NAC, 2025 Junior Olympics, March NAC, April NAC, May SJCC, July Challenge, October NAC, and or November NAC.

All petitions must be made online through this form. Under no circumstances will petitions be accepted if received after the petition deadline (12/12/25).

Here are some examples of petition and their dispositions:
A. If a fencer is injured or becomes ill while competing in a qualifying competition and does not withdraw on a medical basis, the result stands and there is NO petition. It is better not to fence and get medical documentation or to withdraw and ask the bout committee for a written statement verifying the medical withdrawal. That statement or medical documentation must be submitted with the petition.
B. Petitions will not be considered for the case in which fencer is attending school in another division. Division membership is determined by where one lives, or goes to school, or the location of the club that fencer represents in competition. When your USA Fencing membership is renewed, the fencer must state the Division to be assigned based on these criteria. That is one’s Division for the year and the one from which one can qualify to Championship tournaments.
C. The Division scheduled the qualifying competition on the same weekend as a NAC, regional, or other tournament. (Divisions try to avoid such conflicts but it may not always be possible.) The fencer must decide in which competition(s) he or she wishes to compete. A petition will not be approved if the fencer decides to fence in the NAC, regional, or other tournament rather than the qualifying competition.
D. Petitions will not be accepted due to qualifying fields being adjusted due to the removal of ineligible fencers in the competition.
E. Petitions will not be accepted if the fencer competed in their divisional qualifier and did not qualify. Petitions cannot be used to counteract the results of the divisional qualifier.
 
The petition must be accompanied by:
1. A nonrefundable petition fee of $100, to be charged at the conclusion of the online petition process.
2. A written statement that gives specific details of the dates, reason for absence or withdrawal, and other pertinent facts. Written notice from the independent attending physician and/or statement from the Bout Committee must substantiate any medical reasons if the medical reason required withdrawal from the qualifying competition.
3. A summary of the fencer’s significant recent competitive results. In particular, results in previous National Championships and recent North American Cup (NAC) competitions should be noted.
(Example: top 64 international, top 8 in a USA Fencing NAC/Championship, top 16 at a ROC, top 24 at an SYC).
4. If the petition is not approved and the athlete is registered for the Championship, only the event fee will be refunded.
5. Responses to the petition will be made via email. Petitions that do not meet these requirements will not be considered.
6. Decisions on petitions will be based upon the validity of reasons given for absence or withdrawal and the probability that the fencer would have qualified had they competed in the qualifying competition to its conclusion, based on results achieved in other recent competitions.
7. If a fencer is permitted to enter the Junior Olympic Fencing Championships by this petition procedure, the fencers’ entry will in no way affect the number of qualifiers from the division involved.

Petitions are reviewed and processed in 2-3 weeks of submission.