Saskatchewan creates athletics commission to approve mixed martial arts fights

SASKATOON – Mixed martial arts events will soon be legal in Saskatchewan.

The province is setting up an athletics commission that will have the authority to sanction professional combative sports, including MMA.

The move comes after the House of Commons passed a bill in June legalizing contact sports such as MMA.

The legislation makes professional boxing and MMA contests legal in Canada when they have the authorization of a provincial athletics commission.

Only boxing was allowed under the old prize-fighting law, leaving combat sports, including taekwondo, karate and MMA in legal limbo.

Steps are underway to have the commission in Saskatchewan running by next summer.

The commission will be responsible for tracking competitors’ fighting history and ensure safety protocols are enforced.

“A provincial athletics commission will help ensure the safety of everyone involved in professional combative sport competitions,” Saskatchewan Sport Minister Kevin Doherty said Wednesday.

The Saskatchewan Martial Arts Association will sanction and oversee amateur combative sports including mixed martial arts, kickboxing, modified muay thai and full-contact karate. The association said in a news release that it will immediately start sanctioning amateur combative sporting events.

“By regulating amateur competitions, we help eliminate unsanctioned fights that put athletes at risk,” said association president Tim Oehler.

MMA is currently sanctioned at a provincial level in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec, while it has been sanctioned on a municipal level within Alberta, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories.