Audit team of the Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit active for one year

It is now exactly one year since the audit team of the Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit (VA, the Dutch Combat Sports Authority) officially started work. The aim of the audit team is to record the quality of combat sports events and to issue recommendations for improving that quality. These recommendations should in turn contribute to a safe, healthy and well-organised sport for participants, officials and coaches, and spectators.

On Saturday 12 January 2019, almost the entire audit team, consisting of 15 expert auditors, met again in Amsterdam for the six-monthly evaluation. The audit team visits full contact combat sports events throughout the country on a sample basis. In doing so, it assesses independently whether the guideline for combat sports events is being applied adequately in practice.

In 2018 the audit team visited and assessed a total of 30 events, with broadly positive outcomes. The VA visited events of all active federations in the Netherlands. The audits always take place in cooperation with the municipality. Municipalities unanimously state that they are pleased with the VA audits and therefore regard them as added value. In this way, municipalities become more closely involved in combat sports.

During the meeting on 12 January, the board and the audit team of the VA evaluated the work of the first year. Among other things, they discussed how the quality and the process of the audits can be improved. Are we assessing the right aspects of each event, and are we doing so in a reliable, transparent and sound manner?

The plans for 2019 and subsequent years were also discussed. As part of this, we reviewed more recent measures, such as the promoter licence and the digital Fightpassport. In 2019 the VA will again carry out 30 audits. Unlike in 2018, the VA will also conduct a number of unannounced audits.