En garde... for the lightsaber sport!

JEDI has been officially recognised as a religion in some parts of the world.

And now France has approved the Jedi knight’s weapon of choice, the lightsaber, as the country’s national fencing federation has awarded Jedi duelling the status of ‘sport’.

This means LED-lit replicas of the Star Wars weapon, which duellers deploy in three-minute bouts, are ranked on a par with the foil, épée and sabre.

The French Fencing Federation hopes the move will encourage young people to get out and exercise.