nagant_m44
05-27-2006, 01:59 AM
quoted from a mma website
During the past three years, I have been greatly encouraged by the HUGE strides that the sport of MMA has taken within the city of Vancouver. It all started with the historic WFF show in the Orpheum Theatre, and continued when the sport ascended to previously unreached heights with the VERY well-received Elite Fighting show at the Centre for the Performing Arts. Media recognition and public acceptance of our sport are at an all-time high, and the relationship between the Vancouver Athletic Commission and Elite Fighting in particular could not be better. It looked as if the sport had FINALLY broken free of its "renegade" label and become as properly sanctioned and regulated as boxing. Things were looking good for promoters, fans, and most of all fighters, who were finally able to rest assured that they were participating in a safe and properly overseen environment.
But now, certain individuals within city hall have brought all that to an end.
Despite the vocal support that the Vancouver Athletic Commission continues to give responsible promoters such as Elite Fighting, an as-yet unnamed individual or individuals has just imposed a ban on all MMA in Vancouver. Right now, we are not being told who exactly has enacted the ban, or even the specific reasons for it. In fact, not much is being told to MMA promoters other than that "risk assessment" is being done, and that for the time being no events may be run within the city's borders.
As a representative of an organization that has been doing things RIGHT, I find this to be beyond frustrating. The planned July 15th Elite Fighting show at the PNE Agridome is now OFF, with no indication being given of when we might be able to reschedule. I hope that the day comes SOON when we are allowed to at least find out why it is that our sport has been outlawed again.
For now, however, MMA has been dragged back to the dark days. Shows will continue to run on native land and in outlying areas not within the commission's jurisdiction, which means that the fighters' only option will be to fight on shows NOT governed by the VAC. Said shows will be subject to no restrictions or regulations above and beyond the whims of the promoter. I was so happy to see that we had finally gotten to the point where medicals, qualified officials, standardized equipment and a concrete rules structure were all mandatory, but for the time being, city hall has taken all that away again.
I sincerely hope that whomever it is who is behind this movement to "investigate" a sport that has been PROVEN by Johns Hopkins university to be MUCH safer than boxing will realize that this ban does nothing to protect the athletes. In fact, it places them in greater danger as their competitive fires drive them into much less scrupulous organizations than Elite Fighting and WFF/Shooto.
The Western Canadian MMA community can only keep its fingers crossed that whomever is behind this investigation soon joins the rest of us in realizing that it's not 1995 anymore.
Please, sir or madam, take a good look at the FACTS, not the hype, and give us our sport back before someone gets unnecessarily hurt.
During the past three years, I have been greatly encouraged by the HUGE strides that the sport of MMA has taken within the city of Vancouver. It all started with the historic WFF show in the Orpheum Theatre, and continued when the sport ascended to previously unreached heights with the VERY well-received Elite Fighting show at the Centre for the Performing Arts. Media recognition and public acceptance of our sport are at an all-time high, and the relationship between the Vancouver Athletic Commission and Elite Fighting in particular could not be better. It looked as if the sport had FINALLY broken free of its "renegade" label and become as properly sanctioned and regulated as boxing. Things were looking good for promoters, fans, and most of all fighters, who were finally able to rest assured that they were participating in a safe and properly overseen environment.
But now, certain individuals within city hall have brought all that to an end.
Despite the vocal support that the Vancouver Athletic Commission continues to give responsible promoters such as Elite Fighting, an as-yet unnamed individual or individuals has just imposed a ban on all MMA in Vancouver. Right now, we are not being told who exactly has enacted the ban, or even the specific reasons for it. In fact, not much is being told to MMA promoters other than that "risk assessment" is being done, and that for the time being no events may be run within the city's borders.
As a representative of an organization that has been doing things RIGHT, I find this to be beyond frustrating. The planned July 15th Elite Fighting show at the PNE Agridome is now OFF, with no indication being given of when we might be able to reschedule. I hope that the day comes SOON when we are allowed to at least find out why it is that our sport has been outlawed again.
For now, however, MMA has been dragged back to the dark days. Shows will continue to run on native land and in outlying areas not within the commission's jurisdiction, which means that the fighters' only option will be to fight on shows NOT governed by the VAC. Said shows will be subject to no restrictions or regulations above and beyond the whims of the promoter. I was so happy to see that we had finally gotten to the point where medicals, qualified officials, standardized equipment and a concrete rules structure were all mandatory, but for the time being, city hall has taken all that away again.
I sincerely hope that whomever it is who is behind this movement to "investigate" a sport that has been PROVEN by Johns Hopkins university to be MUCH safer than boxing will realize that this ban does nothing to protect the athletes. In fact, it places them in greater danger as their competitive fires drive them into much less scrupulous organizations than Elite Fighting and WFF/Shooto.
The Western Canadian MMA community can only keep its fingers crossed that whomever is behind this investigation soon joins the rest of us in realizing that it's not 1995 anymore.
Please, sir or madam, take a good look at the FACTS, not the hype, and give us our sport back before someone gets unnecessarily hurt.