On December 1, the provincial government enacted stricter regulations on combative sports disciplines. The new legislation is intended to increase safety standards for amateur athletes.
“Manitoba has world-class athletes and these new regulations will unlock new levels of competition, safety, and fun for mixed martial arts, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and jiujitsu,” says Nellie Kennedy, Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism. “For the first time in Manitoba, amateur combative sports will now be able to host competitions. I look forward to seeing how these new events and safety standards propel combative sports to enter a new era of success and competition.”
Local combative sport trainer and enthusiast Jens Reuter appreciates this new regulatory move. Reuter is an instructor with the Niverville chapter of Winnipeg Academy of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) operating out of the CRRC.
For the past 25 years, Reuter has been involved in the sport of wrestling as a participant, coach, and more recently a member of the Manitoba Wrestling Board. In the past ten years, he’s added jiujitsu to his personal repertoire and offers coaching assistance in the WAMMA program.
Between wrestling, jiujitsu, and kickboxing, the Niverville programming has about 80 registered participants.
Reuter says that until now organizers of amateur striking sports, such as mixed martial arts (MMA) and kickboxing, have not been able to hold events in Manitoba since there were no regulatory bodies to govern competitions.
Once you start competing on a professional level, though, Reuter says that governance is provided both provincially and nationally.
“Before this recent legislation, only professional fights could be held, but fighters often had trouble gaining the experience to fight as professionals because of limited opportunity to compete as amateurs,” says Reuter. “My understanding is that this legislation changes that for the better by allowing a commission to also regulate amateur fights.”
John McDonald, executive director of the Manitoba Combative Sports Commission (MCSC), agrees.
“The combative sports industry in Manitoba has long awaited the opportunity to hold amateur competitions in a variety of combat sport disciplines,” says McDonald. “These amendments provide the MCSC the authority to regulate and sanction these amateur events within a framework of safety and fair competition.”
According to the Canadian Fighting Centre (CFC) of Winnipeg, Manitoba now joins the ranks of four other provinces who all provide clearly established regulations on amateur MMA practices.
CFC owner, Giuseppe DeNatale, has been lobbying the province for improved legislation since 2018. Now he imagines there’s much greater potential for growth in the local martial arts and combat sports communities.
From Reuter’s experience, events hosted across the country have demonstrated a mixed bag of rules as far as competitive events are concerned. While some provide sound regulation on competition, others aren’t organized for maximum participant safety.
“There’s a lot that goes into making a fight as safe as possible: sensible matchmaking so the athletes are fairly matched, medical checks beforehand to make sure both athletes are healthy and fit to fight, competent referees to stop fights quickly if necessary, and emergency services on hand if needed,” says Reuter. “Hopefully our governing body provides all these things at a high level.”
The types of sports Reuter participates in, like wrestling and jiujitsu, are considered grappling sports so participants can compete at a greater intensity without as much risk.
Sports such as kickboxing, boxing, and MMA are considered striking sports, leading to a higher risk of permanent physical damage.
“Being hit in the head is dangerous and can have long-term effects, so it is up to individuals to decide if that is a risk worth taking,” Reuter says. “Strong regulations are key here to protect competitors as much as possible.”
For those not really invested in the combative sport culture, one might wonder whether there’d be merit in simply deregulating such dangerous sports altogether.
For Reuter, whose children also participate, the merit outweighs the risk.
“I think [these types of sports] have huge benefits in terms of physical fitness, self-discipline, managing fear and anxiety, and gaining confidence,” says Reuter. “You can learn how to win or lose with grace and sportsmanship in all sports, but it’s especially intense in combat sports. Few people work or test their limits physically the way combat sports athletes do. In addition, you learn self-defence and physical-restraint skills in a very realistic way, should you ever need them.”