Ontario to overhaul laws around combat sports like mixed martial arts, aims to attract more fights

[olee]

Combat sport laws in Ontario are set to be overhauled in what the government says is an effort to draw more high-profile events to the province and bolster athlete safety.

Michael Tibollo, minister of tourism, culture and sport, said the government plans to replace legislation that governs sports like boxing, mixed martial arts and kickboxing to allow for the development of regulations that are in line with evolving international standards.

The current legislation is outdated, has deterred major combat sport promoters from holding more events in Ontario, and means the international sports are fought under different rules in the province, Tibollo said.

 

“(The change) will allow us to bring to Ontario the things that a lot of people are interested in and either have to go to Vegas or to another jurisdiction to see,” he said. “I think we can capture some of that money we’re losing and keep it in the province.”

Tibollo said current combat sports rules are enshrined in legislation, making it hard to update them to reflect changes aimed at protecting participants based on the best available medical science.

The government has acknowledged that its rules around things like hand-wrappings standards in boxing, the timing of fighter weigh-ins for mixed martial arts competitions, and even the required pant lengths for kickboxers need to be changed to reflect modern competitive standards.


 

Currently, the government would have to open the law and follow a lengthy legislative process to make even minor changes to those individual rules.

The new law, if passed, would appoint a combat sport commissioner and an advisory council to offer recommendations to the minister on the most up-to-date rules for each sport. The government could then update rules through regulatory changes — a much less time-consuming legal process.

The planned change is part of the government’s spring budget, which was tabled last month. Once the budget bill passes, the province can hold consultations on its new proposed combat sport law, and develop sport-specific regulations in early 2020.

World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman said his organization has raised concerns with the Ontario government over what it viewed as rules that put fighter safety at risk.