Authenticity Committee Update – BIWC 2025 Guidelines and Reminders

Hello fellow members of Buhurt International,

The Council of the Authenticity Committee would like to share some important information and advice with all registered members who will participate in the Buhurt International World Championships (BIWC) in mid-July.

1. Infraction Classification

As you may remember, we use an infraction classification system, which allows more flexibility in AC rules during Classic Events, while remaining strict for higher-ranked tournaments. The BIWC is the main event of 2025, and we expect all participants to follow the rules.

The rules can be found on the website in the dedicated section. Should you have any questions about the rules, your armor, or similar topics, please contact us by email (listed in the contact section of the website). You can also check the official forum to see if someone has already asked your question.

2. Online Check

Since the beginning of the 2025 season, our team of Authenticity Officers has performed online checks for more than 1,400 fighters around the world. The vast majority of these checks went well, but we want to highlight a few recurring issues:

• Uploaded pictures must show the armor you intend to use at BIWC. Some fighters submitted photos with different helmets, legs, etc., for the same set of armor, which makes the check impossible.

• Modern shoes and/or incomplete armor: We completely understand that you may keep your medieval shoes for tournaments while training in sneakers. However, if you plan to take pictures for an AC check during training, please wear medieval shoes. We cannot give the “Accepted” status for a set of armor featuring modern footwear.

• Clean your armor before taking pictures: Many people received the outcome “armor needs cleaning.” While we understand you took the pictures when possible, we also cannot approve rusty armor.

Once again, if you have any questions, don’t wait — send us an email.

We have already checked almost all fighters registered in national teams, but some are still missing. Don’t delay — register and upload/update your armor pictures on your profile now.

Keep in mind that the online check is the best system we have ever designed to provide each fighter with feedback from the Authenticity Committee. Don’t miss this opportunity — it is unique in the history of our sport.

Photo by David Polier

3. On-Site Check

As shown in the schedule, each day includes time slots for Authenticity and Safety Checks. We expect all team captains to gather their teams in full armor (including tabard) and join us at the designated area. Duellists and Outrance fighters are also required to attend.

Please note: Being approved online does not allow you to skip the on-site check, as you may have changed your armor since the online approval.

4. General Advice To help maintain a high level of authenticity at the event, here are some important recommendations for all participants:

• Clean and oil your armor to prevent rust during transportation to BIWC. It’s useful to bring oil, cleaning products, or sandpaper to help maintain your armor over the days in Visegrád. Pay attention to blackening and other specific finishes that are regulated — refer to the Aesthetic and Decoration document. We remind you that black maces are not allowed since 2023, we expect every weapon to be polished and clean of rust.

• Painting your armor or weapons is not allowed. The only exceptions are additional eye bars (which must be painted black) and neck shields (for decorative purposes).All other metal parts must be polished. Black maces or axes will not be accepted at BIWC, even if they may have been tolerated at past events.

• Fix and repair your armor before the competition. Cloth tape is allowed only for temporary repairs during a round. At the beginning of the tournament, your armor should be fully functional.

• Leave modern leggings for training. As part of our collective effort to preserve the historical look of the sport, modern textiles are not allowed. If you wear a modern groin cup or kneepads, they must be covered by pants made of linen, wool, or cotton in neutral colors (black, brown, grey, etc.). Historical chausses are not mandatory, but they do contribute to the overall impression.

• Neck protection: Any plates that are not shield-shaped should be concealed under the aventail. This improves both safety and appearance. Any plate worn above the aventail may shift during grappling. We strongly recommend neck plates sewn to the gambeson. Please refer to the Neck Protection document.

• Aventails: All aventails should be in good condition. Chainmail must be repaired before BIWC and sewn to the pellerine to prevent shifting. Fabric aventails must be decorated and well-maintained. See the Aventail document if needed.

• Action cameras: Many of you enjoy capturing videos from inside the list. While it’s easy to find historical sources for many things — this is not one of them. Therefore, we propose the following compromise:

  • Only 1 action camera per team is allowed inside the list.

  • It should be concealed as much as possible, while also remaining safe from damage. We recommend mounting it on the chest and covering it with a front-laced tabard.

We also remind you AC infraction will grant green card instead of yellow card. Green card will have the same weight as the yellow card when it comes to combination: 1 green card + 1 yellow card = 1 red card. But green card is not relevant for team disqualification, only yellow cards are taken into consideration (please refer to 5.4 in Regulation documents). Infraction classification document will be updated accordingly in the next update (October).

Thank you for your attention and your dedication to upholding the standards of authenticity in our sport. We look forward to seeing you all at BIWC 2025!

– The Council of the Authenticity CommitteeBuhurt International