News
'No head contact under 18' definitive from 1 January
As of 1 January 2020, the agreement not to permit techniques to the head in kickboxing, Thai boxing and MMA bouts for youth under 18 is definitive. The transitional arrangement introduced two years ago expires on that date. The only exception applies to fighters who turned 17 in the past year and competed in an adult class (Nw, C, B, A); during the months of 2020 in which they are still 17, they will continue to fight in the adult class.
In recent years, more and more has become known about the harmful effects of head trauma on brains that are not yet fully developed. Children who head a football or take a blow from a boxing glove to the head sustain more damage than adults do. Damage with lifelong consequences.
For this reason, the medical committee of the Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit (the Dutch combat sports authority), which includes ringside physicians and other medical experts, issued a recommendation. In youth bouts in our sports, techniques to the head (punches or kicks) should be prohibited. Although this was hard for many people within the sport to accept, the prevailing view is that the interests of children must come first. The measures are unavoidable. In the physicians' judgement, wearing headguards was insufficiently effective. Headguards essentially only prevent cosmetic damage and do little to limit the impact of a punch or a kick.
In consultation with the covenant partners and other experts from the sport, a transitional arrangement was established for a period of two years, for athletes who were 16 and 17 years old. As of 1 January 2018, youth up to and including the age of 15 were prohibited from using techniques to the head. For anyone who was 16 or older on 1 January 2018, it was still permitted. As of 1 January 2019, it was prohibited for youth up to and including the age of 16. Anyone who was 17 or older at that time was still permitted to use them.
As of 1 January 2020, techniques to the head are prohibited for all youth under 18 in the Netherlands. The measure has thereby taken its definitive form. The only exception is that athletes who turned 17 in 2019 and have fought in an adult class (Nw, C, B, A) do not return to the youth class. During the months of 2020 in which he or she is still 17, he or she will continue to compete in the adult class. A fighter's eligibility for this exception must be demonstrated to the federation by means of the Fightpassport.
"I only started competing at the age of 18 and still went on to become a multiple world champion. It is questionable whether I would have managed that if I had been taking blows to the head before then."
– Ernesto Hoost, former four-time K1 champion
This new standard has by now been widely accepted, and we see support for it continuing to grow. During the course of 2020, the Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit will publish a new study setting out the scientific basis for this measure more clearly than ever. We are convinced this will remove any remaining doubts for many people.
Photo: Gordmann (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)