Kicker: Sci-fi weapons

NICK EICHER, HOST: The French Fencing Federation has a long and storied history of competitive duels with blades like the foil, epee, and sabre.

But the federation has just okayed a brand new weapon for competition. Well, actually, a very old weapon, used long, long ago … in galaxy far, far away.

CLIP: What is it? It’s your father’s lightsaber. It’s the weapon of a Jedi Knight, not as clumsy or random as a blaster.

That’s right, lightsabers will now enjoy the same status as the traditional blades used at the Olympics!

The LED-lit, rigid polycarbonate lightsaber replicas look and sound remarkably like the weapons in the movies.

The federation endorsed the sport in part because of the unique physicality of lightsaber duels. And it’s now equipping fencing clubs with them and training would-be lightsaber instructors.

YODA: Much to learn, you still have.

It’s Everything in It … The World and.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena) In this Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, photo, a competitor battles during a national lightsaber tournament in Beaumont-sur-Oise, north of Paris. 

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