The handheld swordlike weapons made famous in the Star Wars universe are the inspiration for LED-lit polycarbonate replicas that duelist can now use in competitions sanctioned by the French Fencing Federation. Federation officials said that they took the action in part to combat the sedentary lifestyle now embraced by many of today's youth (and adults).

As in fencing, lightsaber duelists wear protective body armor, consisting of chest pads, shoulder pads, shin pads, along with heavy-duty gloves and a wire mesh face mask. The difference is in what's in the gloves: a lightsaber. Participants provide their own; some are equipped with a device that imitates the sound made by the ones held by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and others in the iconic Star Wars franchise of movies and TV shows.

Competitions feature 3-minute bouts, and competitors have to abide by the following rules:

• A taped circle on the floor marks the boundaries of the duel.
• A competitor must bring the lightsaber behind the back before each blow.
• A strike to the head or body is worth 5 points.
• A strike to the arms or legs is worth 3 points.
• Striking the opponent's hands gains a competitor 1 point.
• If both competitors reach 10 points within the 3-minute time period, then it's "sudden death" and the first competitor to land or a blow to the head or body wins.
• Otherwise, the first to 15 points wins; if no one has reached 15 points by the end of 3 minutes, then the competitor who has scored the highest number of points wins.

Beaumont-sur-Oise, north of Paris, was the site recently of a nationwide lightsaber duel.