[9] The tournament used a variant of the Bergvall system, holding a single elimination bracket for the gold medal with a repechage ending in a match for silver and bronze.

With 9 teams, the main bracket consisted of a single "play-in" match in what would typically be considered the round of 16, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final.

Winners advanced to play for the gold medal, loser to eventual champion was sent to repechage.

The final three individual bouts of the match were not played, as Belgium was then down by 4 and unable to tie up the contest.

Under Rule 50 of the competition, the decision whether to continue or not was given to the Belgian team captain,[10] who elected not to finish the contest.