Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit introduces a single licensing system

The Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit (the Dutch martial arts authority) has developed a single licensing system to further improve the quality and regulation of the full contact martial arts kickboxing, muay thai boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA). From January 2019, this licensing system is intended to ensure that all roles in the martial arts sector are performed by properly trained persons.

The licensing system will apply to trainers/coaches, referees, judges and ringside doctors. The Vechtsportautoriteit will only issue licences if the officials and coaching staff have been trained within the sports qualification structure (kwalificatiestructuur sport, KSS) of the Dutch national olympic committee and sports confederation NOC*NSF. The martial arts federations will have to ensure that they train their officials and coaching staff adequately.

All organisers of martial arts events, known as promotors, will also be covered by this licensing system. Only promotors who enter into a promotor agreement are eligible for the licence required to organise a martial arts event.

The Vechtsportautoriteit encourages federations to provide training courses for officials and coaching staff. This raises the quality level of the martial arts sector. For example, the Vechtsportautoriteit has offered various federations the opportunity to exchange knowledge between judges and referees. The federations intend to follow this up by jointly setting up a training course for referees and judges.

The medical committee of the Vechtsportautoriteit is currently setting up an annual refresher course for active ringside doctors.

Cooperation is the key word, because the sector has been divided for a long time. There is a strong willingness to work together towards an even safer, healthier and better regulated martial arts sector. The Vechtsportautoriteit promotes this by drawing on committees of experts from the martial arts sector, and through its affiliation with NOC*NSF as an associate member. In the end we share the same goal: an attractive, strong martial arts sector in which we enjoy taking part and which we can all be proud of.