On the fencing scoreboard, what do the different colors of lights represent?
The lights are assigned to each competitor. The competitor on the right side will have one color light, and the competitor on the left will have the other color light, usually red or green. When a fencer hits his opponent in a valid target area, his light will go on if the scoring machine registers it within a predetermined time. The time for each weapon varies and is programmed into the scoring machine. In the case of bouts involving foils, there is also a white light which registers if a touch “off target” or off the valid scoring area.
