A hundred years ago, fighters began combating in what is nowadays called Mixed Martial Arts. A wide variety of combat styles is permitted in every match. Therefore, martial artists skilled in unlike arts are able to get into the ring. MMA is a full-contact sport and its roots can be traced all the way back to ancient Rome. Recently, doctors had something to say about this sport during the Canadian Medical Association’s annual meeting in Niagara Falls. Most of the doctors voiced their belief that this sport should not be legalized any further. They vehemently argue that there is too large a prospect of injuries – much more significant than it is in boxing for example. Another institution that lately voiced their worries with regards to MMA was the British Medical Association . Since early 2009, they are campaigning against the sport in Britain. They also argue that the sport is often excessively violent. Please read BMA’s official statement here. As said by Dr. Ian Gillespie “MMA fighting, like boxing, is distinct from many other sports in that the basic intent of the fighter is to cause harm in order to incapacitate his or her opponent.” He also adds: “the various techniques […] aren’t limited to punching, and there may be the presence of fewer safety rules.” What Artists ThinkA website of MMA fans, WatchKalibRun.com, brings their opinions on the arguments of the British Medical Association. They mention that the statistics available are very limited and link to an American study. The study closely tracked about two hundred MMA matches and found that injury and knock-out rates in Mixed Martial Arts are very similar to other combative sports. The Hamilton Spectator talked to two MMA experts the matter. They bring up the problem of less protection in MMA than in box, the rules are less specific and any regulations are looser in general. The fighters don’t aim only at the head and the torso as is the case in box, for instance. That makes room for more kinds of injuries, although it could decrease the relative prominence of head traumas. Both experts are calling for a unification of the procedures in the entire Canada instead of per-province regulations. What ChangedSo why didn’t we hear from the doctors earlier? That is because only now (in the middle of August), Ontario province government finally arrived at a decision to make MMA legal in this province. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warrior One (W1) already prepared business strategies to develop activities in the most important cities and even several smaller ones. The premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty took a leap of faith to sign the law, but wants continuous supervision of all the events and adherence to all rules as reported by Toronto Sun. Nevertheless, doctors are not pleased that there are hardly ever trained professionals at the matches. They say that even if there were, it would be unthinkable for them to observe the injuries without even helping the fighters. Traditional martial artists opine that MMA is in its essence against the basic values of martial arts, those being courtesy, self-control, discipline and – most of all – respect. According to CTV, Dr. Shelby Karpman warns that since the sport is already so popular, outlawing it is likely result in the fighting shifting ‘underground’. In addition, health supervisors would not be asked to take part and for those reasons the artists would be exposed to subpar care. This equals even more danger. In summary, it seems that if MMA cannot be banned, it should most definitely be very closely regulated and all rules should be obeyed without exceptions. There should be reasonable medical authority present; licensing, insurance and preventive measures should be enforced at all times. Mixed Martial Arts and InsuranceAs I am sure you are wondering: Extreme sports are treated as a special case for life insurance. Not every company will sell you coverage. Those who will are going to make you pay a much higher premium. The resulting surcharge is going to be based on the riskiness of the sport. A combat fighter should thoroughly understand any caveats and exclusions in the plan and should not join in any but licensed events. Illegal fights will not be covered by anyone. In any case, life insurance is hardly going to cover all expenses associated with extreme sports. This is because a fighter will most probably severely harm his or her opponent which will make him or her liable for the associated damages. So, it is a good idea that each fighter has a liability insurance coverage of his or her own. As with life insurance, with liability insurance it also holds true that the combat must be part of a duly supervised and licensed event and is limited by any exclusions in the policy.
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AuthorLorne S. Marr, president of LSM Insurance. 17 years of experience in insurance business. Archives
January 2012
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