Vernon, BC – Vernon city council has asked staff to draft a bylaw that would prohibit mixed martial arts events within the city. Mayor Rob Sawatzky points to health concerns and organized crime as two reasons they are looking at banning the competitions.
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“We’ve had at least a couple of sessions with the RCMP over the last couple of years expressing their very strong concerns and the very great body of evidence they have that the business of putting these events on is very closely associated with organized crime,” said Sawatzky.
Practitioners are defending MMA saying their sport is safe, they haven’t seen any connections to organized crime and if a ban is put in place locals looking for competition will have to go further afield.
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