Fightpassport: next step against problems in the ring

With a hard blow against a fairground punching machine, Ro\u00ebl Mannaart, the newly crowned K1 heavyweight world champion, was the first fighter to open his digital Fightpassport. The Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit (Dutch Combat Sports Authority) has developed a digital data system together with the combat sports sector, to be used by all kickboxers, thaiboxers and Mixed Martial Arts fighters, and by the federations they are affiliated with.

By 1 January 2019 at the latest, every fighter will have a digital Fightpassport listing their personal details, competition results, medical condition and any suspensions or sanctions. This system puts an end to the paper combat sports booklets that each federation issued separately. Because federations each recorded fighters' competition results and medical condition in their own way, there was often no overview at all, and fighters with a suspension or a medical condition could still enter the ring or the cage elsewhere.

K1 champion Ro\u00ebl Mannaart: \u201cThis puts an immediate end to all the unclear hassle with those paper booklets. Because of them you sometimes did not even know exactly who you were really fighting. Hopefully this is a first step towards standardising all the rules and agreements of all parties.\u201d

\u201cTogether with the fighters and the federations, we stand for a safe sport. That is why we developed this Fightpassport together with the sport,\u201d says Herbert Dekkers, chair of the Vechtsportautoriteit. \u201cThis way you know who you are fighting, and we can make sure that fighters with an injury or a suspension do not enter the ring with another federation anyway.\u201d

The Fightpassport makes it easier for promoters to assess whether two fighters are evenly matched and whether an athlete is medically fit to fight. In the current situation there are fighters carrying as many as seven combat sports booklets. The combat sports sector has recognised this problem for some time. The most common consequences are inexperienced fighters competing against experienced athletes, and fighters entering the ring shortly after having been knocked out at another federation. The new system, which may only be consulted and edited by doctors and federation officials, prevents this. If a fighter's Fightpassport shows green, he or she may fight; if the Fightpassport shows red, the athlete may not enter the ring.

The Vechtsportautoriteit supervises compliance with this measure by attending combat sports events. It also takes action on the basis of reports. Municipalities are advised to grant event permits only to promoters who also comply with this measure.