Senior competitions: The new rule is cancelled with immediate effect and the old rule will now apply to senior competitions as below: Coming on guard t.17
t.17.2 The Referee places each of the two competitors in such a way that the front foot of each is 2 metres from the centre line of the piste (that is, behind the ‘on-guard’ lines).
Junior competitions: As the 2016-2017 junior season will end in April 2017, the new rule will apply until the end of the 2017 Junior and Cadet World Championships. It will then be cancelled, like with the senior competitions.