The provincial government is introducing a new bill which would see the Manitoba Combative Sports Commission regulate amateur combative sports in the province.
Bill 40, tabled in the legislature on Wednesday, would expand the MCSC’s mandate to include both amateur and professional sports and designate it as a sanctioning body for amateur combative sports where one is not already designated, a press release states.
Currently, the MCSC only regulates and acts as a sanctioning body for professional boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts in the province.
“Expanding the mandate of the MCSC will ensure a more cohesive approach to sport participant safety across all combative sports, both professional and amateur,” Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Obby Khan said in the release.
Khan claims the amendment will foster a safer environment for all participating in amateur combative sports in the region amid increasing interest and participation.
The bill is also an attempt to eliminate “unregulated and illegal” amateur combative sport activity in the province and drive economic activity, the minister said.